Francis went under the knife during spring training and is making excellent progress. He's expected to be ready for the start of spring training in 2010, and a strong showing in the club's instructional league will only give the Rox more confidence. Francis went 17-9 with a 4.22 ERA in 2007, but faltered in 2008, finishing 4-10 with an ugly 5.01 earned-run average.