The Giants announced that right-hander Spencer Howard has been designated for assignment. Fellow righty Landen Roupp was called up from Triple-A Sacramento in the corresponding move.
Howard signed a minor league deal with San Francisco last September, and he made it to the big league roster a month ago when his contract was selected to The Show. Working as a starter, reliever, opener and bulk pitcher behind an opener, Howard was holding his own until a rocky outing against the Dodgers Saturday, when he was tagged for six earned runs over 2 2/3 innings.
The tough night boosted Howard’s ERA to 5.63 over 24 innings and prompted the Giants to remove Howard from the roster in order to bring a fresher arm in Roupp back to the majors. Howard is out of minor league options, so the Giants had to designate him in order to attempt to send Howard down to Triple-A.
The DFA is the latest twist in the career of the former top-100 prospect, who was a second-round pick for the Phillies in the 2017 draft. Howard was once seen as a future star during his time in Philadelphia’s farm system, but the Phils sent him to the Rangers as part of a six-player trade at the 2021 deadline and the righty has yet to find any form against major league batters.
Howard has a 6.93 ERA over 139 career innings with the Phillies, Rangers and Giants and the transition to relief pitching from starting work hasn’t seen much of an improvement in his results. Given his past prospect pedigree, another team might put in a waiver claim to see for themselves if any late bloomer potential is there for Howard as he approaches his 28th birthday.