Phillies claim Bourjos off waivers from Cardinals

The Philadelphia Phillies improved their outfield depth Wednesday afternoon, claiming 28-year-old Peter Bourjos off waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals.

Bourjos appeared in 117 games for St. Louis in 2015, his second season with the club, but was considered a non-tender candidate after hitting just .200/.290/.333 (69 OPS+) while managing minus-0.5 WAR for the division champions. Bourjos, who made his MLB debut with the Los Angeles Angels in 2010, is projected to make $1.8 million this season in his final year of arbitration eligibility.

Over parts of six seasons in the majors, Bourjos owns a .682 OPS (91 OPS+) in 590 games, but he's widely considered among the game's top defensive outfielders, compiling more defensive runs saved since 2010 than all but 10 center fielders.

Stuck in the early stages of a rebuild, the Phillies' outfield depth was sorely lacking at the outset of the offseason, with few veteran options to fall back on should rookie Aaron Altherr struggle or sophomore Odubel Herrera regress in 2016.