Howard, still infected, in walking boot

TAMPA, Fla. — Ryan Howard is currently in a walking boot following an infection that required a surgical procedure near his Achilles tendon, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said Sunday.

Howard could be in the boot for as many as 10 days, Amaro said. He began wearing it shortly after the Feb. 27 procedure to clean the infection from his original Achilles surgery wound.

The Phillies have told their first baseman to mostly rest. He has not been seen at the team's complex. The Phillies do not have an estimate for when Howard will resume baseball activities.

"We immobilized him," Amaro said, "just because our main priority is to just get the infection out of there."

Amaro said Howard is taking a strong dose of antibiotics to remove the infection. Doctors have told Amaro that it could take anywhere from seven to 10 days for the infection to leave his body. Howard last participated in a workout on Feb. 25.

When the boot comes off, Amaro said it does not necessarily imply Howard can begin his rehab immediately.

"I don't know when he's going to start baseball activities," Amaro said. "I don't have any idea. I don't have any time frame one way or another. Hopefully he can get the boot off as soon as possible and we can be sure. We're not going to do anything with him unless we're sure the infection is out.

"He could be backed up for a while. I don't know. I really don't know. I don't have any time frame."

The GM did stress things could be worse. The recent procedure, done by foot specialist Mark Myerson, who performed Howard's original surgery, confirmed the actual Achilles tendon remains stable.

"At least we know his Achilles is intact," Amaro said. "It hasn't been compromised. That was a concern. So far, it's not an issue. Once he gets the boot out, we can be pretty aggressive with him because it's intact and he's good to go. Right now the priority is to get the infection out because we can't compromise any more because it will be longer."

This winter, the Phillies had optimistically set a return date for sometime in May. These recent events could certainly delay Howard's recovery.

Contact Matt Gelb at mgelb@phillynews.com or @magelb on Twitter.