J.P. Howell Finally Ready for Return to Tampa Bay Rays

J.P. Howell's last rehab appearance was rained out Monday night, meaning he would have to wait one more day to complete his rehabilitation process before going back to an MLB mound, something that he hasn't touched in what feels like a lifetime.

Howell made his final tune-up outing at Single-A Port Charlotte on Tuesday and now is finally scheduled to come off the disabled list for Friday's game, in which the Tampa Bay Rays will start their series with the Marlins.

Howell may not pitch then, but it won't be long before he finally returns to a big-league mound. It has to seem like an eternity for him with not having pitched in MLB since 2009.

His whole 2010 season was wasted by a bad shoulder that not only wore him down near the end of '09 but also required surgery that kept him out till, well, tomorrow.

Howell's return will provide a spark for an already strong bullpen, one that was not expected to pump out near the production that it has in the first couple months of the season.

As a huge part of the bullpen of 2008, Howell helped lead the way in late innings as the Rays won their first ever pennant. After Troy Percival's departure, he became the everyday closer for Tampa Bay and succeeded in the role until late in the season, when he, and his arm, lost his edge.

You could tell something was wrong. All the appearances, night after night, had exhausted Howell's shoulder. Since then, he has recovered from surgery, gotten stronger and has even put on some extra muscle and overall weight.

These things could all add up to a tremendous help for the bullpen, another late-inning guy that can be trusted in big-game situations. He also will provide another lefty down in the pen, complementing Cesar Ramos.

There's always a chance it'll take him a while to regain complete normalcy at the highest level of baseball, but he has the work ethic to get back to where he was in 2008, and do it quickly.

He won't, however, be the closer. Kyle Farnsworth seems to have that on lock now, and with very good reason. But Howell will contribute in any way he can and should still play a big role.

It may seem like it's been forever, but he's only 28 with plenty of years in the bigs ahead of him. "I'm so ready," he was quoted as saying to the Tampa Tribune. "It's all good. Zero complaints."

He's tired of rehab assignments. He's done the work to get back. The time has finally come for J.P. Howell to be back on a big-league mound.