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Aaron Altherr still not himself since wrist surgery

ATLANTA - Aaron Altherr had an idea of what to expect. He underwent surgery on his right wrist that delayed the start of his 2014 season, and that surgery was not as extensive as the one he had in March on his left wrist.

ATLANTA - Aaron Altherr had an idea of what to expect. He underwent surgery on his right wrist that delayed the start of his 2014 season, and that surgery was not as extensive as the one he had in March on his left wrist.

The path to being a productive batter again is torturous.

"It's hard to explain," Altherr said. "The same thing happened to me with my other wrist when I had surgery. I came back and it just took me a while to get comfortable in the box and really find my swing.

"It feels fine. It just takes a little while to get the feeling back. But it's all good. It'll come eventually."

That time line, though, complicates matters for the Phillies. Before his impressive 39-game fling with the Phillies last season, most evaluators viewed Altherr as a fourth or fifth outfielder in the majors.

His time with the Phillies last season forced officials to rethink his potential. And his two-month slump in 2016 after surgery to repair a torn tendon sheath in his left wrist has adjusted the expectations again. He profiles more as an extra outfielder.

Altherr entered the final week of the season with a .194 batting average, .289 on-base percentage, and .294 slugging percentage.

The 25-year-old outfielder said he did not want to cite the wrist injury as an excuse. He had hoped for a more productive two-month tryout, but he understood the challenges of that. Players deal with injuries and he will have to overcome that if he is to be an everyday outfielder.

"Perhaps," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said, "he's not ready to make the jump."

Altherr compiled 20 extra-base hits with a .489 slugging percentage in 161 plate appearances last season, but he had just 10 extra-base hits in 204 plate appearances this season.

The Phillies like Altherr's defense enough that he could receive another shot at a starting job next spring.

Quinn exits with injury

Roman Quinn strained a muscle in his left rib cage on a fifth-inning swing Tuesday night, and his brief major-league tryout could be cut short. Quinn, often injured in the minors, singled in his first three at-bats and scored two runs. He was replaced in the sixth inning by Darin Ruf.

Quinn missed more than six weeks in the minors this season with a rib cage injury.

Extra bases

The Phillies have a bullpen game scheduled for Saturday against the Mets, but Mackanin said he has contemplated moving Alec Asher back a day because the game will be nationally televised and he'd rather not use the bullpen for that. They could start Phil Klein on Friday, with a parade of relievers behind him.