Ryan Howard, one of the most prolific hitters in Phillies history, will continue to sit and watch his replacement, Tommy Joseph, play first base.
It might be hyperbole to call it a changing of the guard in Philadelphia, but that thought is on everyone's mind. CSN Philly ran a headline Saturday that said, "Welcome to Day 1 of the Official Tommy Joseph Era."
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Phillies manager Pete Mackanin broke the news to Howard before Friday night's loss to the Nationals. Joseph then crushed two more home runs in that game, giving him seven home runs in his first 69 plate appearances with the Phillies.
Howard, who is hitting just .150/.213/.346 in 169 plate appearances, had already been benched for what appeared to be the short term earlier in the month. Now, Mackanin has told the veteran slugger he can't afford to sit Joseph.
“I can’t say enough about Tommy Joseph,” Mackanin told reporters Friday. “I talked to (Ryan) today and I told him, ‘I’ve got to go with Tommy Joseph right now.’ I can’t sit Tommy Joseph."
Philadelphia still owes Howard the remainder of his $25 million 2016 salary. The team has a $10 million buyout on a 2017 option.
"I flat out don’t like it," Mackanin said. "I don’t like to have to deal with it because what [Howard's] done for the organization over the years. Once again, this is another year where we’re looking to the future and Tommy Joseph is looking like he’s probably going to be in the future."
Mackanin said he will try to get Howard some spot starts in addition to pinch-hitting duties, but on a team that is rebuilding, the slumping 36-year-old is a memory of a glorious past, not part of the future. With 366 home runs and 1,155 RBIs, Howard is second on the all-time Phillies list to Mike Schmidt.
Mackanin said Howard accepted the news quietly.
"I know he’s not happy," Mackanin said. "Why would he be happy? I don’t blame him. After the career he’s had it’s hard to be told that I’m going with somebody else right now, but it is what it is and ... it’s a competitive business."