Spencer

Howard

A strikeout machine in the minors for the Phillies, Howard looked like a future third or fourth starter as a prospect, but he proved too homer-prone to contribute. He heads to Japan with a 4-13 record and a 7.00 ERA over 32 starts and 15 relief appearances for the Phillies, Rangers, Giants and Guardians.

Howard wound up electing free agency last month after being designated for assignment by the Guardians after making two appearances (one start) for them. The 28-year-old is back in San Francisco where he started the year before being traded to Cleveland in early July. He’s merely extra organizational depth at this stage of his career.

Howard was acquired in a trade with the Giants earlier in the month, but the 27-year-old gave up four earned runs in each of his two appearances. He’s now on the waiver wire, and Cleveland could try and stash him in Triple-A if another team doesn’t claim him or trade for the right-hander.

Howard made his debut with the Guardians after being acquired from the Giants last weekend. It didn’t go well, as he allowed seven hits and three walks with four strikeouts not making up for it. Howard was a top prospect and there have been occasional flashes to suggest he has a bright future, but not nearly enough to suggest he’s a fantasy-relevant pitcher in 2024. It’s probably not going to happen in the years after, either.

Allen is removed from the active roster with Spencer Howard coming to join the team after he was acquired in trade. Allen will likely be back up after the All-Star break, but his shaky pitching results (5.67 ERA) puts his rotation spot in a precarious position.

Howard was designated for assignment by the Giants after he gave up six runs in 2 2/3 innings against the Dodgers last Saturday. He had a 5.63 ERA in seven appearances with the Giants this year. Howard will report to Triple-A Columbus as he waits for a chance with Guardians.

Howard is booted off the roster a day after he gave up six runs in just 2 2/3 innings of work against the Dodgers on Saturday. The right-hander will be subject to waivers, and if he goes unclaimed, he can either report back to Triple-A Sacramento or he can elect free agency.

Woof. Howard came on after Erik Miller had worked a scoreless first inning as an opener. He gave up single runs in the second and third innings — including a solo homer off the bat of Shohei Ohtani. Howard was then gifted a three-run lead heading into the fourth inning where he gave it all back and then some — allowing run-scoring singles to Miguel Rojas and Gavin Lux before exiting in the four-run frame. The 27-year-old hurler got six swings and misses on 57 pitches on the night, posting a CSW of 26 percent. He now holds an uninspiring 5.63 ERA and 1.83 WHIP over 24 innings on the season.

It’s simply hilarious that the Giants fired Gabe Kapler for too aggressively using platoons and openers and generally doing non-traditional stuff, and now they have Bob Melvin essentially running the team the exact same way. The Giants used Erik Miller as an opener for the third time in 10 days tonight and then brought in three other relievers before turning to Howard in the fifth and letting him finish the game from there. It goes as Howard’s first win since July 2022. His eight strikeouts topped his previous career high by three, even though he had started 31 big-league games coming into tonight.

Erik Miller will start as the opener, but Howard should provide three or four innings behind him. Howard was great in his first three bulk outings, allowing three runs in 13 1/3 innings; however, his last two outings haven’t been nearly as good. That makes him a risky option even against the Cubs.