Skip to content
Phillies
Link copied to clipboard

Phillies' Aaron Altherr to return sooner than expected

Aaron Altherr's strained right hamstring has improved quicker than expected and there is a chance the outfielder could return to the Phillies as early as Tuesday. Altherr has been on the disabled list since July 15 and was expected to miss nearly a month of action.

The Phillies’ Aaron Altherr follows through on a home run in the seventh inning of a 7-1 win against the San Diego Padres, Sunday, July 9, 2017, in Philadelphia. The outfielder could be returning from his hamstring injury sooner than expected.
The Phillies’ Aaron Altherr follows through on a home run in the seventh inning of a 7-1 win against the San Diego Padres, Sunday, July 9, 2017, in Philadelphia. The outfielder could be returning from his hamstring injury sooner than expected.Read moreLaurence Kesterson / AP Photo

The Phillies will try to trade away several players this week, but they will also welcome back their best hitter.

Aaron Altherr's strained right hamstring has improved more quickly than expected and there is a chance the outfielder could return to the Phillies as early as Tuesday. Altherr has been on the disabled list since July 15 and was expected to miss nearly a month of action.

"I made a comment that I thought it was not that bad, but then they said three or four weeks," manager Pete Mackanin said. "And now it's back to not that bad. So I made a mistake, but I found out I was right."

Altherr is batting .288 this season with an .898 OPS in 79 games. He started the season as an extra outfielder before thrusting himself into the starting lineup. The Phillies will have to fit Altherr into the outfield with Howie Kendrick, Daniel Nava, and Nick Williams.

It is vital to find at-bats for Kendrick and Nava before the July 31 trade deadline, but completing a trade could be complicated. Kendrick was activated on Friday after being placed on the disabled list June 30 with a hamstring strain. He was on the disabled list earlier this season with a strained oblique. Nava missed Saturday's game with a hamstring injury but is expected to return Sunday. Both will have to prove they are healthy before the Phillies can move them. It might be easier to find a suitor in August through a waiver trade.

"Whether it's now, whether it's August, whether it's the winter meetings, whether it's spring training, no matter what, it's generally still the same calculus: Does this potential transaction make sense for this franchise at this time?," general manager Matt Klentak said. "And there are a variety of factors that play into that. Whether a player is likely to get through trade waivers in August is a factor."

Pete still likes Therrien

Pete Mackanin was asked which minor-leaguers he would like to see added if the Phillies are able to make trades this month and he campaigned for Jesen Therrien, the hard-throwing righthanded reliever he praised earlier this season.

"We saw him in the spring and I really liked his breaking ball," Mackanin said. "He pitched very well in the spring — and I know it's only spring training — but he wasn't nervous, he wasn't scared and I know he's pitching well. I'd like to see him."

Therrien has a 1.75 ERA in 16 games this season at triple A since being promoted there in June. He has struck out 23 and walked just two in 25 2/3 innings. Expect Therrien to head to the majors once the team trades Pat Neshek, who is shaping up to be the most tradeable player of all their veterans.

Extra bases

Jerad Eickhoff will face Junior Guerra on Sunday in the series finale. …The Phillies entered Saturday night's game with a run differential of +19 over their last 24 games. The mark ranks sixth in the National League during that span, but the Phillies are just 11-13 in that stretch.