PHILADELPHIA– The Phillies have demoted an outfielder they expected to be a main source of offense this season.
OF Aaron Altherr, 27, has been sent down to AAA Lehigh Valley after hitting a lowly .171 to start the year.
Last season, Altherr broke out with a .272 average along with 19 HR’s and 72 RBI’s.
However, after a slow start to this season, Altherr lost more and more playing time to fellow OF Nick Williams, who is on pace to set a career-high in most offensive categories in his first full year at the big league level.
The move is reportedly to get Altherr more consistent at-bats in a way to get him in a rhythm and increase his production at the plate.
Along with Altherr goes reliever Mark Leiter Jr., who has been shuttled between the Major and Minor Leagues this season.
The team announced that a corresponding move will be later on Monday, but it is known that one of the for mentioned spots will be taken by P Zach Eflin, who is returning from the Disabled List to pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night.
