Howard (lat) has been sent to Triple-A Round Rock to begin a rehab assignment.
Howard has been out all season with a right lat strain but has been throwing the ball well of late at the Rangers' spring training complex, per Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News. It's not clear whether the Rangers plan to use him as a starter or reliever once he's activated.
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Rangers' Spencer Howard: Moved to 60-day IL
Rotowire
The Rangers diagnosed Howard with a right lat strain and transferred him from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Monday.
The move frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for the addition of catcher Sandy Leon. Howard was first injured back in early March and now isn't eligible to return until late May.
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Rangers' Spencer Howard: Goes on 15-day IL
Rotowire
Texas placed Howard (arm) on the 15-day injured list Wednesday, Jeff Wilson of RangersToday.com reports.
Howard began experiencing right arm fatigue in early March and still needs to build back up into regular-season form. There's no exact timeframe for when he might be an option in Texas.
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Rangers' Spencer Howard: Dealing with arm fatigue
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Howard will not pitch Monday as hoped due to arm fatigue, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.
The Rangers do not believe this to be a serious setback for the right-hander. Howard projects to open the 2023 season in the rotation at Triple-A Round Rock, although it's possible he could be look at as a bullpen arm. He'll need to get healthy first, though.
Rangers' Spencer Howard: Reinstated, sent to Triple-A
Rotowire
Howard (shoulder) was activated from the 15-day injured list and optioned to Triple-A Round Rock on Thursday.
Howard appeared in four games with Round Rock during his rehab assignment, and he'll remain with the affiliate now that he's been fully cleared from the right shoulder impingement that put him on the IL in early August. The 26-year-old has appeared in 10 games for the Rangers this year and has a 7.41 ERA, 1.73 WHIP and 32:15 K:BB across 37.2 innings.
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Rangers' Spencer Howard: Goes five innings in rehab outing
Rotowire
Howard (shoulder) covered five innings and struck out six while allowing three runs on four hits and no walks in his most recent rehab outing Friday with Triple-A Round Rock.
Making the third appearance of his rehab assignment, Howard tossed 63 pitches (44 strikes). The Rangers haven't outlined their next steps for Howard, but he looks like he could be ready to return from the 15-day injured list and slot back into the big-league rotation at some point during the team's series this weekend in Anaheim. Before landing on the IL on Aug. 10 with right shoulder impingement syndrome, Howard had compiled a 7.41 ERA, 1.73 WHIP and 32:15 K:BB in 37.2 innings with Texas.
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Rangers' Spencer Howard: Two starts into rehab
Rotowire
Howard (shoulder) allowed six runs (four earned) on four hits and three walks while striking out one in a rehab start for Triple-A Round Rock on Saturday, the Rangers' official site reports.
Howard ran his pitch count to 68 in what was his second rehab outing. The right-hander also threw Sept. 7, allowing one run on five hits while striking out four over four innings. Howard is expected to make a third rehab start, likely Sept. 23.
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Rangers' Spencer Howard: Will begin rehab Sunday
Rotowire
Howard (shoulder) is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.
Howard was placed on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder impingement syndrome in early August and hasn't pitched in a game since Aug. 7. No target return date is in place, at least not publicly. It doesn't seem the Rangers are in a hurry for the 26-year-old righty to return.
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Rangers' Spencer Howard: Scheduled for live BP
Rotowire
Howard (shoulder) is scheduled to throw live batting practice Saturday, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.
The 26-year-old was placed the injured list with a right shoulder impingement syndrome Aug. 10, and he resumed throwing in a bullpen session last week. Howard is expected to throw 30-35 pitches Saturday and could begin a rehab assignment next week if all goes well.
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Rangers' Spencer Howard: Out with shoulder injury
Rotowire
Howard was placed on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with right shoulder impingement syndrome, Richard Justice of Texas Monthly reports.
Howard surrendered six runs (five earned) over 3.1 innings during his last start Sunday, and he'll now miss at least a couple turns through the rotation due to the injury. The 26-year-old will be eligible to be reinstated Aug. 23, though it's unclear if he's expected to be fully recovered by that point. John King was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock in a corresponding move.
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Rangers' Spencer Howard: Hit hard in loss
Rotowire
Howard (2-4) took the loss Sunday against the White Sox, allowing six runs (five earned) on eight hits and a walk while striking three in 3.1 innings.
Chicago scored a run in the second, two in the third and three in the fourth. Andrew Vaughn hit a two-run blast in the third and, after AJ Pollock and Luis Robert hit consecutive doubles with one out in the fourth, Howard was removed. Howard stepped into Texas' rotation at the beginning of July and has allowed four runs or more in four of his seven starts since then. As a starter, he has a 7.41 ERA, 1.74 WHIP and 10 homers allowed in 34 innings. His next start will likely be next weekend against Seattle.
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Rangers' Spencer Howard: Mediocre showing Tuesday
Rotowire
Howard (2-3) allowed six runs on six hits, two walks and a hit batsman while striking out three over four-plus innings to take the loss versus the Orioles on Tuesday.
Most of the damage against Howard came in the third inning, with Jorge Mateo's three-run home run enough to send the Rangers starter to a loss. He's now allowed 11 homers in nine appearances this season. The right-hander has a 6.82 ERA, 1.63 WHIP and 29:14 K:BB through 34.1 innings. With Jon Gray (oblique) out until at least September, Howard is likely to maintain a spot in the rotation. His next start is projected to be a home matchup against the White Sox this weekend.
Howard (2-2) allowed three hits and struck out five over five innings to earn the win Thursday over the Angels. He did not issue a walk.
Nathaniel Lowe's solo home run in the fourth inning was all the run support Howard and the Rangers needed to get the win. Considering the right-hander had surrendered 12 runs (11 earned), including four home runs, in his previous four outings, Thursday's effort was a massive success. He trimmed his ERA to 5.93 with a 1.58 WHIP and 26:12 K:BB across 30.1 innings in eight appearances (six starts). Howard's next outing is projected to be a home start versus the Orioles next week.
Rangers' Spencer Howard: Gives up two homers in loss
Rotowire
Howard (1-2) gave up four earned runs on six hits and three walks while striking out three over 4.2 innings to take the loss in a 5-4 defeat to the Athletics on Friday.
Howard had another rough outing, this time surrendering two home runs off the bats of Ramon Laureano and Seth Brown. The performance raised his ERA to 7.11 over five starts and seven appearances. The right-hander ranks in the bottom first percentile of many key Statcast indicators, including xwOBA, xERA and xSLG. The Rangers may continue to hand him the ball as Dane Dunning recovers from an ankle impingement. Look for Howard to take the mound on the road against the Angels next week.
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Rangers' Spencer Howard: Walks five in no-decision
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Howard gave up two earned runs on five hits and five walks while striking out three in a 3-2 extra-inning loss to the Mariners on Saturday. He did not factor into the decision.
Howard was somewhat effective in his third start since being recalled from Triple-A Round Rock on July 5. The 25-year-old right-hander managed to eat five innings while giving up only two earned runs on a home run to Carlos Santana. The five free passes are concerning, but the positives to take away are two consecutive outings of five innings and a career-high-tying 91 pitches Sunday. Howard's 7.70 FIP suggests that his bloated 6.97 ERA may not be due for improvement unless he can make a significant adjustment, but the right-hander has been better during his current stint in the majors (4.50 ERA, 14 IP) than he was during a three-game April stretch (12.15 ERA, 6.2 IP, 8.1 HR/9), which resulted in a demotion to the minors. Another silver lining is that he is slated to start in a favorable matchup against the Athletics his next time out after the All-Star break.
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Rangers' Spencer Howard: Solid in Monday's win
Rotowire
Howard (1-1) earned the win Monday over the Athletics. He allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits and struck out one over five innings.
Howard got through three innings without trouble, then allowed an RBI single to Seth Brown in the fourth and a solo home run to Sheldon Neuse in the fifth. The Athletics rallied late against the Rangers' bullpen, but Brett Martin closed it out to earn Howard his first win in five appearances this year. Howard allowed four runs in four innings in his previous start, so this was a marked improvement for the right-hander. He still has an 8.04 ERA, 1.66 WHIP and 15:4 K:BB through 15.2 innings, but with Dane Dunning (ankle) landing on the injured list, Howard should get an extended look in the rotation. He's lined up for a weekend home start versus the Mariners.
