Ryan Howard: Philadelphia Phillies First Baseman to Start His Rehab Journey

According to Marc Narducci of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Ryan Howard is starting to get back into the swing of things both literally and figuratively.

The power-hitting first baseman has been cleared for baseball activities and will be heading to Florida on Sunday.

Philadelphia Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said that Howard will begin simply by fielding some ground balls and building up his strength.

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He probably won't start hitting for at least a few days because he wants to get his legs under him and doesn't want to get in any bad habits.

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Nevertheless, this is an incredibly encouraging sign.

Last season, Howard hit 33 home runs and drove in 116 runs. Over the six complete seasons that he has played in the City of Brotherly Love, he has averaged almost 133 RBI a year.

Even though his batting average is not the greatest and he strikes out far too much, no one can deny that he's one of the best run producers in baseball today.

The Philadelphia Phillies have been struggling to produce any offense this season, so his return will be especially vital. In fact, only the Miami Marlins and the Pittsburgh Pirates had scored fewer runs than Philadelphia in all of Major League Baseball.

Howard is not expected to be back in Philadelphia for quite a while yet, and Amaro would not even commit to a timeline. Still, progress is definitely a good thing and a sign of encouragement for a team that is underachieving at the moment.

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