Phillies top prospect Spencer Howard makes Spring Training debut

Philadelphia Phillies prospect Spencer Howard made his spring debut in the eighth inning of Tuesday’s game against the Minnesota Twins.

To start the inning, Howard allowed a couple of base hits and worked into a jam with runners on first and second and only one out. He was able to work around the early trouble, though, getting Jimmy Kerrigan to fly out to right field before striking out Wilfredo Tovar to end the frame.

Howard, the Phillies consensus top pitching prospect, was healthy to start Spring Training, but was quickly sidelined after tweaking his right knee in the weight room on February 15. He pitched a session to live batters last Thursday before making his Spring Training debut on Tuesday.

It is unclear exactly what the Phillies plan will be with Howard moving forward. Since they intend to keep him on an innings restriction for the season, they may limit his innings early while he is in the minor leagues so that he is able to contribute to the major league club in September, and possibly beyond.

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