With the Philadelphia Phillies' organizational outfield depth on the rise, 2016 seemed like Aaron Altherr's best chance to entrench himself as a starter, given that players like Nick Williams and Roman Quinn aren't far from making their debuts at the major league level.
Those chances took a hit Tuesday.
According to Ryan Lawrence of Philly Voice, Altherr will have surgery on his wrist on Wednesday, an injury that at the very least will cause him to miss a majority of the season.
Altherr surgery tomorrow. Out 4-6 months.
— Ryan Lawrence (@ryanlawrence21) March 8, 2016
Altherr was seen by Dr. Culp in Philly (who will perform tomorrow's surgery) on Monday. Got a second opinion today. Not good.
— Ryan Lawrence (@ryanlawrence21) March 8, 2016
Jim Salisbury of Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia provided the specifics of Altherr's injury.
Altherr has torn sheath around wrist tendon
— Jim Salisbury (@JSalisburyCSN) March 8, 2016
Altherr injured his wrist in a Spring Training game against the Atlanta Braves this past Friday, and left the team Sunday to see a specialist in Philadelphia.
Odubel Herrera appears as though he's the only lock to start in the outfield, though Altherr's injury seems to increase the chances that Peter Bourjos also is an every-day player to open the season. Cody Asche, who is recovering from a minor oblique injury, and Rule-5 pick Tyler Goeddel will likely compete for the third outfield spot, whether that ends up being in right-field or left-field.
Tim Kelly (@TimKellySports) is the Managing Editor of Philliedelphia.com, focusing on news and features.
