Phillies rookie OFs should see more playing time with Aaron Altherr injured
By John Town
With Aaron Altherr out for some time, the Phillies rookie outfielders, Nick Williams and Cameron Perkins, should see more playing time in his place.
When Aaron Altherr grabbed the back of his thigh during Friday night’s loss to the Brewers, the Phillies knew their best hitter from the first half of the season would be out for some time. How much time Altherr will miss is to be determined.
Both Altherr and manager Pete Mackanin are going to take it one day at a time with Altherr’s hamstring: [quotes via Todd Zolecki of MLB.com]
"“I don’t know how severe it is,” Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. “If it’s mild, if it’s a day or two or a week or two, I’m not sure. We won’t know until tomorrow.”…“It’s a little sore now,” Altherr said. “But I’ve been icing, so we’ll see how it feels tomorrow and take it from there.”"
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Altherr leaves a void both in the lineup and in right field. He has been hitting in the leadoff spot the last two games, and has gone 4-for-6 there. Zolecki said Daniel Nava could slot in at the top of Philadelphia’s lineup. Nava was hitting in the leadoff spot for some time before Altherr was moved up.
Two players that could benefit from Altherr’s absence are both rookies, Nick Williams and Cameron Perkins.
Williams has been splitting time with Nava in left field, but if Nava fills in for Altherr in right, Williams should get most, if not all, of the time in left.
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Since coming to the majors, Williams has a .250/.300/.389 line in 11 games. He has collected his first home run, four runs scored, and two RBI. In 40 plate appearances, Williams has walked twice and struck out 11 times. He hasn’t lit the world on fire upon coming up, but he has enough potential to warrant some consistent playing time.
Meanwhile, Perkins has not seen much action since being promoted. He has served as the team’s fifth outfielder, starting just seven games since being promoted June 20. However, with Altherr out, he becomes the team’s fourth outfielder for the time being and should get more time in the outfield rotation.
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Perkins has done little at the plate since debuting as he has just six hits and one walk in 40 plate appearances. It’s worth pointing out he has a 0.6 UZR in left field in just 40.1 innings there. He has yet to make an error as well. However, his defense won’t be enough to keep him in the rotation whenever Altherr returns, so an improvement in offense is key.