With outfielder Aaron Altherr expected to undergo wrist surgery and miss 4-6 months, the Philadelphia Phillies need to find a replacement option.
Altherr, 25, received everyday starts in the outfield down the stretch last season and was projected to start for the Phillies on Opening Day. Now, the team must find someone to take his place, although GM Matt Klentak told Todd Zolecki of MLB.com that he doesn't intend to add any help from outside the organization.
"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."
That's good news for Peter Bourjos and Rule 5 pick Tyler Goeddel, who are both in camp looking for a starting outfield job. Meanwhile, former third baseman Cody Asche, who was moved to the outfield to accommodate Maikel Franco, has an oblique strain that could send him to the disabled list as well, Ryan Lawrence of PhillyVoice.com writes.
Zolecki points out that the Phillies will have priority on the waiver wire through the end of April due to their record last season, so any outfielders dropped by other teams could be an option.
