Ryan Howard Not Expected Back Until July

There has been a significant level of murkiness surrounding Ryan Howard’s timeframe to return from his Achilles injury.  Yesterday Philadelphia Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. told reporters that it’s doubtful Howard returns from the disabled list in June.  CSN Philly’s Jim Salisbury spoke with Amaro and believes that July is “a more reasonable timetable for Howard’s return”.

Howard went down during the final out of the National League Division Series last season.  While making the final out of the Phillies 2011 season, Howard tore his Achilles tendon.

At that point it was unknown exactly how much time Howard would be forced to miss due to the injury.  The slugger faced a setback during the beginning of March, and it soon became clear that Howard would not be starting the season with the Phillies.

Now, Howard is rehabbing in Clearwater, Florida.  Howard is once again running on his surgically repaired foot, as well as participating in hitting and fielding drills.  The Phillies are taking things extremely slow with Howard as some of the other muscles around his injured foot experienced atrophy during his downtime.  Philadelphia doesn’t want Howard to undergo another setback or an additional injury.

Amaro continued to be vague regarding Howard’s recovery and timeframe, noting that the first baseman “has improved every day and he continues to improve”.  Amaro added that the Phillies goal is to get Howard back as close to 100 percent as possible.

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