The Phillies went into 2016 looking to rebuild, which meant getting to evaluate some of their young players. One offensive player that the Phillies planned to get a long look at was outfielder Aaron Altherr. After just eight Spring Training at bats and one hit – a home run – Altherr dove in right field for a ball off the bat of Ender Inciarte and tore a key tendon in his wrist. Altherr had surgery and has missed the entire 2016 so far. Today, Altherr will finally get to show he belongs.
The Phillies activated Altherr from the 60-day disabled list on Thursday in time for the Phillies to take on the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field. The Phillies had a 40-man roster spot available with the return of Daniel Stumpf to the Kansas City Royals. The 25 man spot, however, was opened up as outfielder Peter Bourjos was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a right shoulder strain. Bourjos injured himself making a nice diving play in right field on Tuesday.
The injury to Bourjos likely spared either Cody Asche and Jimmy Paredes, as both players are under-performing offensively.
Altherr batted .341 during his rehab assignment, with one home run, two doubles, and six runs batted in. Altherr likely assumes the starting job in right field for the rest of the season.
