Phillies continue to ‘slowly’ build-up Spencer Howard before adding him to their rotation

Joe Girardi said Wednesday afternoon that he had not heard how Spencer Howard -- the team’s top pitching prospect who is on a path back to the majors -- had performed a night earlier. The Phillies manager said he was focused on his players but expected to hear soon about Howard’s night.

Well, Howard didn’t allow a hit in three innings for triple-A Lehigh Valley and threw 31 of his 44 pitches for strikes.

“That sounds good,” Girardi said with a smile.

It was another good night for Howard, who struck out one and walked three. But don’t expect those three innings to force the Phillies to move any quicker with Howard. The team is being cautious with the right-hander as they aim to build his pitch count before plugging him into their starting rotation.

“There’s a progression,” Girardi said. “Slowly build him up and try to keep him going as a starter.”

The Phillies have not yet pushed Howard past 44 pitches, which he threw last week over two-plus innings in his triple-A debut. Howard, who is on an innings limit this season after being limited by injuries the last few seasons, is expected to be used as a four or five-inning starter when he returns to the majors.

First, his pitch count needs to increase at triple A. The Phillies have not offered a timeline on Howard’s return to the majors, but it seems possible that he could be in the rotation by June.

“It will be more than what we saw last night,” Girardi said. “Eventually.”

The Phillies currently have six starters on their roster with left-hander Matt Moore moonlighting as a seldom-used reliever. When Howard returns, the Phillies will have seven since none of the back-of-the rotation starters have minor-league options remaining.

The presence of an extra starting pitcher means the Phillies are carrying a four-man bench. When Howard returns, they would likely trim a reliever as their bullpen would include just seven traditional relievers and two extra starting pitchers.

The Phillies have been able to make do with their current roster, but a thinned bullpen could be a challenge.

Howard’s first two triple-A starts fell on the same day as Chase Anderson’s major-league outings. Since Howard is only expected to pitch a few innings per start, perhaps Anderson could follow him every fifth day. Anderson has made eight relief appearances over the last two seasons.

» READ MORE: Chase Anderson gave the Phillies some quality innings, but came up short on quantity again | Extra Innings

The other rotation spot would belong to either current owner Vince Velasquez or Moore, who opened the season as the No. 4 starter.

“I just believe things always find a way of working out,” Girardi said. “Things happen and then you make a decision. You could do a lot of different things. I don’t think you could ever have too many starting pitchers because if they’re pitching well, that’s a good thing and you could use them a lot of different ways. As far as trying to map out anything for Spencer, we’re just going from start to start.”

Moore is in the bullpen, but he is not one of Girardi’s top options for pivotal outs nor is he their long man, which is David Hale. Moore was the last reliever used in last Saturday’s 12-inning loss to Atlanta and pitched the final two innings in Sunday’s series finale.

Moore has made three relief appearances since losing his rotation spot when he was placed on the COVID-19 injured list after being identified as a close contact to an infected person. But the Phillies seem to be treating him like a starting pitcher who is waiting for a rotation spot to open up. They soon could have two of those pitchers in their bullpen once Howard arrives.

» READ MORE: A Phillies trade for Kris Bryant would make more sense this year | Extra Innings

“From being overseas and being on some losers before that, being with this group right here, it’s been a long time since I’ve felt all-in the way I am right now,” Moore said. “Whether my role is in the starting rotation or if it’s the long guy in the bullpen or somewhere in between, that’s where I’m at right now and I feel really good about where our club’s at. Being a part of that is the biggest thing to me.

“We’ve all watched enough baseball to know that things don’t always stay the same. But if they do and we’re winning, that’s where I want to be a part of is a winning club that’s on their way up, and that’s how it feels right now.”