Skip to content
Phillies
Link copied to clipboard

Is Ryan Howard becoming a distraction for Phillies?

In the ongoing melodrama that is Ryan Howard's twilight in Philadelphia, Tuesday appears to be an important day. Howard will start at first base, Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said, for the first time in more than a week.

In the ongoing melodrama that is Ryan Howard's twilight in Philadelphia, Tuesday appears to be an important day. Howard will start at first base, Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said, for the first time in more than a week.

"I'm going to get a look at him, see how he looks," Mackanin said. "Then, I'll probably make a decision with how I'm going to handle the whole thing in the near future."

That decision, Mackanin said, is in his hands and not the front office's. Howard's mere presence Monday attracted several TV cameras inside the Phillies clubhouse after Saturday's incident when a man threw a beer bottle at Howard.

Is Howard, the team's highest-paid player and a constant media focus, becoming a distraction?

"It's crossed my mind," Mackanin said. "The whole thing is delicate. A lot of it concerns me. I'm sure he's not happy with the position he's in. I'm not happy about it. We've got to do something at some point, see what happens. It's not a lot of fun."

Howard, 36, has played the role of good teammate so far.

"I don't want to be a distraction for these other 24 guys in here," he said. "Because to me, it's always been about playing baseball, and that's it. So, I have to take care of what I have to take care of, and I don't want to bring any extra burdens on these guys. I know how hard they work. They don't deserve it.

Howard added: "I understand it's going to be news and people are going to talk about it or whatever. But I'm not trying to put my focus there. I'm trying to put my focus on what I need to do to get back to where I need to be to be able to play and play at a high level."

Extra bases

Odubel Herrera did not start for just the second time in 58 games this season. Mackanin said he wanted to sit his best hitter against Cubs lefty Jon Lester. . . . Former Villanova star Matt Szczur entered Monday's game in the third inning for Chicago when outfielder Jorge Soler suffered a leg injury. Szczur had a .347 average and .927 OPS in 31 games.