By Tim Kelly, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Aaron Altherr's torn sheath tendon a year ago cost him a chance to get extensive starts in the team's outfield, but Altherr doesn't seem to have conceded that he'll never get another chance to be a starter.
The 26-year-old is four for his first 10 in Spring Training, including homering Monday and a bases-clearing triple yesterday. Altherr also added in a double in Tuesday's tie against the Tampa Bay Rays, looking much like the player that the Phillies wanted to see get an extended chance to play every day prior to his injury.
After flashing his power potential in 2015, Altherr slashed just .197/.300/.288 in 198 at-bats late in the 2016 season. That he was even able to come back in 2016 was pretty impressive, but his production obviously didn't line up with what the Phillies had hoped to see from.
Nearly a year after suffering the injury, it's possible that Altherr is just now starting to get healthy. After the injury, former New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira, who had the same injury in 2013, cautioned that Altherr would be able to return, but it would take him some time to feel back to 100 percent:
"It bothered me probably for 18 months," Teixeira said. "At 18 months, I didn't feel it anymore. Now, you can play maybe at six months, but the kind of hitter I am, I really need my wrists. It's just the way it is. Yeah, you can swing and you can play, but it bothered me for a while."[via Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer]
Altherr had his surgery on March 9, 2016, so he's nearly 12 months removed from the surgery. He won't be 18 months removed, the target date that Teixeira set, until September.
It is worth noting that no two people have their bodies heal the exact same way, so Altherr may find that he returns to 100 percent quicker than Teixeira did. He was 25 when he had the surgery and Teixeira was 33, so it's entirely possible he will bounce back quicker.
It would take a major change of heart or an injury for the team's Opening Day outfield not to be Michael Saunders (RF), Odubel Herrera (CF) and Howie Kendrick (LF). But because of Altherr's flexibility, if he stays hot at the plate, manager Pete Mackanin will find a way to get him at-bats in the regular season.
The Phillies hope Saunders has a hot first half and becomes a July trade piece, but if he performs like he did in the second half of 2016, there will come a point where he could lose at-bats to Altherr. Herrera could occasionally be spelled by Altherr. And the Phillies could move Kendrick elsewhere on the diamond, probably second base, if Altherr forces his way into being more than a fourth outfielder.
For the sake of his long-term chances of starting, Altherr better hope he's able to make a noteworthy impact prior to 18 months after the surgery. He missed his chance to be a full-time starter last year, but he's still at the Major League level prior to Roman Quinn, Nick Williams and Dylan Cozens, so this may be the best chance he gets to prove that he's worth extended playing time.
So far, so good.
