MIAMI — Phillies outfielder and trade candidate Peter Bourjos left Tuesday night’s game after running hard into the right field wall in the bottom of the first inning.
The official word from the Phillies medical staff was that Bourjos suffered a right shoulder injury. There was no further word on his condition.
Bourjos made a nice running catch on a leadoff shot to the gap by Miami's Ichiro Suzuki, who entered the game just four hits shy of 3,000.
Bourjos hit his right shoulder against the wall and briefly went to his knees. He left the game in the second inning and was replaced by Jimmy Paredes.
It's unclear how the injury will affect Bourjos' status as a trade candidate. The injury comes less than a week before the trade deadline. Bourjos could be attractive to teams looking for an extra outfielder and moving him would open a spot for Aaron Altherr, who could come off the disabled list as soon as Thursday.
Bourjos raised his trade stock by hitting .402 (37 for 92) with a 1.086 OPS from June 6 to the All-Star break. He has since tailed off and was hitting .136 in 11 games after the All-Star break entering Tuesday night.
Despite the struggles, Bourjos remains a top defender, as evidenced by the running catch he made on Suzuki that resulted in his leaving Tuesday night’s game.
