ST. LOUISDomonic Brown started his second straight game in center field for Triple A Lehigh Valley on Friday night.What gives?Wasnt he supposed to be making the transition from right field to left field this season?Brown may still end up in a corner outfield spot, but right now Phillies officials, specifically director of player development Joe Jordan, want to take a look at him in center field.Joe saw him shagging and thought he looked good so he wanted to give it a try, assistant general manager Scott Proefrock said Friday night. Joe talked to Domonic about it and they thought theyd give it a try.This is certainly an interesting development considering that centerfielder Shane Victorino will be a free agent at seasons end and could be a budget cut as the Phils attempt to re-sign Cole Hamels. Its possible that the Phils want to get a book on Brown at the position, just to see if he could be an option there if Victorino moves on. John Mayberry Jr. would be another possible replacement for Victorino, but his inconsistency in 2012 has led to questions of whether he can be an every-day player.The Phillies entered Friday night in last place in the NL East, four games out of first place. That is hardly an insurmountable deficit at this stage of the season, but GM Ruben Amaro Jr. has said he could be a seller at the trade deadline if the team is not in the race. Victorinos pending free-agency would make him a strong candidate to be dealt and there would be plenty of interest.Theres a lot of baseball left and a lot of maneuvering to do on the field and in the front office as the season moves into its second quarter. Browns audition in center field could be an intriguing piece of the puzzle.Kyle Hudson, acquired recently in a minor-league trade with Tampa Bay, has been playing left field at Lehigh Valley.Brown entered Friday night hitting .240 with no homers, 15 RBIs and a .283 on-base percentage in 29 games.
E-mail Jim Salisbury at jsalisbury@comcastsportsnet.com.