Howard will sit out Saturday's matchup with the Cardinals.

EDGE Analysis

Howard will be replaced by Tommy Joseph at first base. It simply appears to be a routine day off for the veteran. He is slashing just .197/.252/.448 on the season.

Major League Baseball cleared Howard of any wrongdoing in connection to a December report by Al Jazeera that claimed he received performance-enhancing drugs, Cash Kruth of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The Al Jazeera report claimed Howard and other professional athletes used the performance-enhancing substance Delta 2. Howard has filed a lawsuit against Al Jazeera because of their defamatory claims.

Howard went 3-for-5 with a home run and five RBI in Friday's 10-6 win over the Rockies.

EDGE Analysis

Howard's homer was a 457-foot grand slam off right-hander Jon Gray. He is hitting .386 with five home runs and 13 RBI since the All-Star break.

Howard went 2-for-3 with a double and a solo home run in a 9-7 loss to the Padres on Saturday.

EDGE Analysis

The homer was Howard's 16th of the season. He's been surprisingly productive of late in his limited playing time with a .342 average over his last 11 starts and eight homers in his last 22 starts. Despite the improved production, Howard will remain limited to spot starts as the Phillies focus on giving playing time to Tommy Joseph at first base.

Howard went 3-for-4 with a solo shot, his 15th of the year, in Wednesday's game against the Giants.

EDGE Analysis

The veteran hit .250 (10-for-40) in July, his best average for any month so far this season. Howard's seeing limited playing time, but he's managed to put something in the stat sheet when he does get a start. If anything, he's moved up in the fantasy ranks to be a punt-play candidate in daily leagues.

Howard went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer in Thursday's loss to Miami.

EDGE Analysis

Howard's fourth-inning blast, his 14th of the season, gave him 30 RBI on the year. It's no secret that the veteran has been putting on a sad campaign to watch in 2016, but he has improved - albeit in small increments - of late. Across the board, Howard's slash line of .160/.219/.376 is higher than it's been since mid-May. Despite the improvement, it is still a hard pill to swallow outside of the deepest leagues.

Howard is unlikely to face disciplinary action from a PED investigation by Major League Baseball, Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

EDGE Analysis

Howard was named in an Al Jazeera report in December claiming he and other professional athletes used the performance-enhancing substance Delta 2. He has denied any wrongdoing and has filed a defamation suit against Al Jazeera.

Howard is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Rockies, Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

EDGE Analysis

He will sit in favor of Tommy Joseph at first base with lefty Tyler Anderson due up for Colorado, as is standard whenever the Phillies face a lefty. Howard has been dreadful against right-handers as well this season (.161/.227/.367) and the team figures to continue the process of phasing him out as the we progress through the end of the season (and the end of Howard's tenure in Philly).

Howard went 2-for-4 with a solo homer, two RBI and a run in Thursday's 11-2 loss to the Rockies.

EDGE Analysis

It was a rare ray of sunshine in an otherwise nightmarish season for the veteran slugger, who's still slashing only .158/.219/.362 after Thursday's strong effort. While Howard has shown he still has plenty of pop in his bat, he's been incredibly feast-or-famine this season, striking out 68 times over 196 at-bats, and generating only four extra-base hits, all doubles, in addition to his 12 round-trippers.

Howard is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Royals.

EDGE Analysis

Tommy Joseph will take over at first base Saturday while Howard draws the day off against a left-hander in Danny Duffy. Howard is batting a mere .105 against southpaws this season. He could draw back into the lineup when the Phillies face righty Yordano Ventura, but Howard is no longer a bankable every day option at first base.