The Phillies’ handling of the man who has been their top pitching prospect for the last three years, Spencer Howard, has been mystifying this season.
He was a starter who would only pitch three innings. He was a reliever used in the middle innings of a blowout loss. He started every fifth day for a couple weeks then he didn’t get used for eight days. His usage was mystifying, the type of yo-yoing you do with your No. 25 prospect, not your No. 1.
Now, it seems the Phillies have read the writing on the wall.