MILWAUKEE -- Aaron Altherr remains day to day with a strained right hamstring, but Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said he felt better on Saturday. The skipper said Altherr was unavailable for Saturday's game against the Brewers.
"He said he felt better," Mackanin said about Altherr.
Nick Williams took Altherr's spot in right field Saturday against the Brewers, while Daniel Nava hit leadoff.
Altherr is hitting .288 with 20 doubles, three triples, 14 home runs, 44 RBIs and an .898 OPS in 301 plate appearances. He is on pace to finish with the Phillies' highest OPS since Jayson Werth's .926 mark in 2010. His OPS is 31st out of 168 qualified hitters in baseball. He is 13th among 69 outfielders.
"When you see a guy have success early in the season, you're hoping he's going to sustain it," Mackanin said. "A guy like Altherr, he's such a good defensive player. He's an all-around good player. I've been on guard for that slump that he might go through where he goes 2-for-40 and starts changing his approach, but the reason for his success is he's changed his swing path so drastically. He's so short to the ball now, there's no reason why he shouldn't continue to hit."
Phillies hitting coach Matt Stairs made those tweaks to Altherr's swing in Spring Training and the 26-year-old jumped from a fourth or fifth outfielder to a key piece to the club's future.
Phillies to get pair back in Miami
Mackanin said Cesar Hernandez, who is on the disabled list with a strained left oblique, will join the team Monday in Miami and be activated. Vince Velasquez is also looking set to be activated, possibly returning Tuesday to face the Marlins.
Herrera earns doubles record, then doesn't
Did anybody notify Pinky Whitney's family? Are they popping champagne this weekend?
Phillies center fielder Odubel Herrera hit 13 doubles in June, which fell one shy of tying the franchise record that Whitney set in 1931. But a scoring change earlier this month from a June 22 game against St. Louis awarded Herrera a 14th double.
Suddenly, Herrera had a piece of this little known record.
But then Elias Sports Bureau this week took away another double that Herrera hit on June 11 in St. Louis. Aaron Nola was thrown out at third base trying to advance from first, and in accordance to rule 9.06, Herrera was credited with a single.
And just as suddenly, Herrera no longer has a piece of the record.