By PATRICK GORDON | Managing Editor
March 9, 2016, 8:00 A.M. EST.
@PGordonPBR
CLEARWATER, Fla. - Outfielder Aaron Altherr needs surgery on his injured left wrist and will be sidelined for four to six months.
Phillies general manager Matt Klentak announced late Tuesday afternoon that Altherr would have surgery on Wednesday to repair a torn ECU tendon sheath in the wrist.
Altherr, 25, was a front-runner to be the starting right fielder on Opening Day. He hit .241 with five home runs and 11 doubles in 39 games with the Phillies at the end of last season.
"We're hopeful he'll be back before the end of the season," general manager Matt Klentak said.
Altherr injured the wrist last Friday while diving for a fly ball against Houston. He initially did not believe the injury was serious, but was sent to Philadelphia for an examination and received a second opinion on Tuesday suggesting surgery.
"It's disappointing, certainly, for a young player who had a lot to prove," Klentak said. "We were certainly excited to watch him play. But we're not going to sit here and feel sorry for ourselves. We have a lot of good players in camp that are competing really hard for an opportunity. And now there is an opportunity."
Altherr's injury means more playing time for Cody Asche, Darnell Sweeney, and Rule 5 pick Tyler Goddel.
"We owe it to the guys in camp to give them that chance to fill that spot," Klentak said. "We'll survey the market. If there's something out there, we'll explore it. But we feel pretty good about the guys we have here."
Klentak also shared on Tuesday that projected closer David Hernandez is battling triceps tendinitis.
Hernandez was the lone free agent the Phillies signed to big-league deal in the off-season.
On the field
The Phillies play a pair of contests on Wednesday. They will send a squad to Fort Myers to play the Twins while another stays in Clearwater to host the Orioles. Jake Thompson, Zach Eflin and Mark Appel are scheduled to pitch in Fort Myers, while Jeremy Hellickson will start in Clearwater.
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