Guardians Release Former Philadelphia Phillies Top Pitching Prospect

The transaction log for one of the Philadelphia Phillies’ former top prospects got a little longer as he was designated for assignment.

Cleveland Guardians pitcher Spencer Howard throws against Detroit Tigers during the first inning at Comerica Park in Detroit on Thursday, July 11, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Cleveland Guardians became the latest team to move on from Spencer Howard, as the AL Central-leaders designated him for assignment on Sunday.

The San Francisco Giants traded Howard to the Guardians for cash on July 5. The Giants had designated Howard for assignment on June 30.

With Cleveland, the right-hander went 2-1 with a 9.00 ERA, as he allowed five earned runs in five innings. He struck out six and walked three.

The Guardians made the move to clear a roster spot for right-hander Peter Strzelecki, whom Cleveland recalled from Triple-A Columbus.

Cleveland was the fourth Major League organization that Howard was a part of since he left Philadelphia in a trade in 2021. That trade, at the deadline, was a deal that involved several players and saw Howard go to the Texas Rangers and starter Kyle Gibson come to Philadelphia.

Howard was Philadelphia’s second-round pick in 2017.

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 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 the trade.

He was a spot starter for Texas in 2022, when he went 2-4 with a 7.41 ERA in 10 games (eight starts). In 2023 Howard began the season injured and was traded by Texas in late July to the New York Yankees. He never reached the Majors with New York and he spent a month at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre before he was released.

The Giants picked him up in late September and stashed him in the minors.

He became useful to the Giants earlier this season when they were dealing with a myriad of injuries to their pitching staff and Howard put some of the better numbers of his career.

He slid into a primary relief role for the Giants after he was called up from Triple-A Sacramento on May 28. He was 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 in June against the Rangers. He started in place of the injured Logan Webb.

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 also a quality appearance, as 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 Guardians could trade him or he could pass through waivers and the Guardians could re-sign him, if Howard doesn’t elect free agency.