CLEARWATER, Fla. — Phillies rightfielder Aaron Altherr had a splint on his left wrist Saturday morning after injuring it on the first play of Friday's 12-11 win.
He's day to day and doesn't think "it's anything really serious." Altherr finished the top of the first Friday before taking himself out for precautionary reasons. "It wasn't real comfortable playing on it," he said. "It's early in spring training, I didn't want to risk anything."
Altherr said the wrist is still a little achey and he'll probably take a few days off to rest it.
He hadn't yet had an X-ray. The Phillies will wait until Sunday to make a determination on the next step. "We're not gonna panic or anything like that right now," manager Pete Mackanin said.
Altherr had surgery on his other wrist in December 2013. He suffered that injury sliding into third base in the Arizona Fall League. He said this current wrist injury is "not even close to that" in terms of severity.
Asche 'needs to get going'
Cody Asche, who's missed over a week with an oblique injury, remains out for the Phillies. They're being cautious with him.
"With that type of situation with the oblique, you feel good and then all the sudden one swing and you set yourself back," Mackanin said.
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Asche's roster spot isn't as secure as it has been in recent years and so this is not the ideal time to be dealing with an injury that limits his ability to swing.
Mackanin said as soon as Asche's ready, the Phillies will get him as much playing time as they possibly can, even it requires doing so in different ways.
"I want him to get a sufficient amount of at-bats, so the minute he's 100 percent and we know it, I'm gonna get him as many at-bats as I can as quickly as I can," Mackanin said. "Even if it comes down to that old spring training ritual of going down to a minor-league game and leading off every inning. He needs to get going."
Howard out a day or two
Ryan Howard struck out to begin and end the Phillies' seven-run second inning Saturday and exited in the third inning. As he walked into the Phils' clubhouse then, he said he had a case of the flu spreading throughout the team and that he was having trouble seeing.
Howard is unavailable for Sunday's 1:05 p.m. game against the Blue Jays in Dunedin, and Mackanin said he might miss Sunday's game against the Yankees as well.
"He came in shaking," Mackanin said.
As for utilityman Andres Blanco, who's been out with a shoulder injury, Mackanin said he's progressing and hopes to play Monday in Bradenton against the Pirates.