LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- After sitting out six games for multiple reasons, Ryan Howard returned to the Phillies’ lineup Friday and had a nice day at the plate against the Atlanta Braves.
Howard lashed an RBI double down the right-field line against his old friend Kyle Kendrick in the first inning.
He also lined out hard to right to advance a runner, walked, struck out and drove a ball that was caught against the wall in left-center. That came against a lefty pitcher.
“I told Ryan he should not take batting practice the whole year because he hadn’t had an at-bat in over a week and that was as good as he’s looked in a while so I’m real happy about that,” manager Pete Mackanin said.
Howard missed a handful of games as he battled a flulike illness that has swept camp.
He did not play on Thursday because he met with representatives from Major League Baseball’s Investigations Department in regard to allegations made by the Al Jazeera network that tied him to PED use. Howard has denied those allegations in the strongest possible way; he has sued Al Jazeera for defamation.
Major League Baseball’s meeting with Howard was considered a matter of due diligence and not a signal of wrongdoing. MLB’s investigations department routinely looks into any allegation against a player. Depending on what the investigations department learns in its examination of the situation, Howard could be disciplined or the investigation could be dropped and become a non-matter.
Earlier this spring, Howard said he expected to speak to MLB officials at some point. He would not confirm Thursday’s meeting, saying, “It’s called a personal day. I had stuff to do.”