Former Philadelphia Phillies Top Prospect DFA’ed by Giants

A former Philadelphia Phillies top pitching prospect may be heading to free agency again after a curious move on Sunday.

Jun 14, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Spencer Howard (56) delivers a pitch against the Los Angeles Angels during the first inning at Oracle Park. / D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports

The San Francisco Giants designated for assignment a former Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher who at one time was among the players the team hoped would be the future of their rotation.

Right-hander Spencer Howard, the Phillies’ second-round pick in 2017, was DFA’ed on Sunday by the Giants in a move designed to provide their bullpen with a fresh arm after an 11-inning game with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Giants called Landen Roupp up from Triple-A Sacramento.

The curious part of the move is that Howard has been pitching some of his best baseball with the Giants.

Howard had slid into a primary relief role for the Giants after he was called up from Sacramento on May 28. He is 1-1 with a 3.80 ERA in six appearances and 21.1 innings. He struck out 21 and walked nine.

That included his first MLB start in more than two seasons when he took the ball for the Giants earlier this month against one of his former teams, the Texas Rangers. He was starting in place of the injured Logan Webb and Howard did a fine job.

Howard threw 74 pitches in 4.2 innings, 53 of which were strikes. He walked three, struck out two and left with a 3-1 lead.

His last appearance with San Francisco was on Monday and he shined that night too. He threw 4.2 innings and claimed the victory against the Chicago Cubs. He allowed no runs, four hits, one walk and struck out eight.

Howard could be claimed by another team, the Giants could trade him or he could pass through waivers and the Giants could re-sign him, if Howard doesn’t elect free agency.

The Phillies selected Howard after a standout career at Cal Poly. While working his way through the Phillies’ system, he threw the first no-hitter in Class-A Lakewood BlueClaws history.

He made his MLB debut with the Phillies in 2020, during which he went 1-2 with a 5.92 ERA. He made 11 starts with the Phillies in 2021, going 0-2 with a 5.72 ERA before he was traded to the Texas Rangers in a deal that netted the Phillies several players, including starter Kyle Gibson.

He was a spot starter for the Rangers in 2022, when he went 2-4 with a 7.41 ERA in 10 games (eight starts). In 2023 Howard began the season hurt and was ultimately traded by Texas in late July. The New York Yankees acquired Howard but he lasted a month at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre before his release. The Giants picked him up in late September and stashed him in the minors.