The Pittsburgh Pirates placed relief pitcher Sam Howard on the 10-day injured list on Tuesday afternoon due to a right oblique strain. The move was made retroactive to July 10th. Howard last pitched on July 9th and three days is the longest you can backdate a trip to the injured list, so the move needed to be made by today. This is his second trip to the injured list. On June 20th, he was placed there due to right knee tendinitis.
Howard is having a rough season compared to the 3.86 ERA he had last year in his first season with the Pirates. He has made 38 appearances this year, posting a 5.76 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP in 29.2 innings. He has a great strikeout rate (41 strikeouts) and he’s holding batters to a .183 average, but he has already walked 22 batters.
No move to take his roster spot will be made until the Pirates return to action on Friday.
