Manager Pete Mackanin said at some point Howard's role could be reduced, but nothing is imminent, Jim Salisbury of CSN Philadelphia reports. "I'm going to look at it a week at a time," Mackanin said. "We'll see. At some point it might come to that, but I can't say it's imminent."

EDGE Analysis

Howard went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts Monday, lowering his average to .156. He has just four hits in the month of May, but three of those hits were home runs. A reduction in Howard's role would lead to increased at-bats for Tommy Joseph, who is off to a solid start since his promotion from Triple-A. Howard is in the final year of his contract, so it would not be surprising to see the Phillies move him to a bench role or even release him if his struggles continue.

Howard is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Braves.

EDGE Analysis

Manager Pete Mackanin said Saturday that he was considering holding the slumping Howard out Sunday, and it turns out he will indeed do just that. Tommy Joseph will get the start at first base in place of Howard, who is just 4-for-44 (.091) through 16 games this month.

Manager Pete Mackanin said he might sit Howard against a righthanded pitcher Sunday, Marc Narducci of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. "I might give [Tommy] Joseph a start [Sunday] just to clear Howie's head just a little bit," Mackanin said.

EDGE Analysis

Howard went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts Saturday before he was pinch-hit for in the seventh inning. Howard is hitting just .161 with eight home runs this season. His strikeout rate has increased this season after he had been making small improvements the last three years. He has also been a bit unlucky with a .162 BABIP. For now, the Phillies remain committed to a platoon at first base, but if Howard's struggles continue the team could start to reduce his role further.

Howard is not in the starting lineup Tuesday against the Marlins, Meghan Montemurro of the News Journal reports.

EDGE Analysis

With left-hander Wei-Yin Chen taking the mound for Miami, Howard and his .490 OPS against left-handed pitching will head to the bench for Tuesday's contest. Tommy Joseph will take over for him at first base.

Howard is not in the lineup Monday against the Marlins, Stephen Gross of The Morning Call reports.

EDGE Analysis

Howard will get his second day off in four games as the Phillies go up against left-hander Adam Conley. As was the case Friday against the Reds, Tommy Joseph will take over at first base, and he'll bat fifth in the order behind cleanup man Carlos Ruiz.

Howard is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Reds, Ryan Lawrence of the Philly Voice reports.

EDGE Analysis

With left-hander Brandon Finnegan taking the ball for Cincinnati, Howard will head to the bench as usual. Recent callup Tommy Joseph will man first base in his stead.

Howard is out of the lineup Sunday against the Marlins, Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

EDGE Analysis

It has became the norm for Howard to sit against left-handed pitching, and Sunday afternoon will be no different with southpaw Justin Nicolino on the hill for the opposing Marlins. This will be the fifth straight game Howard has sat against a lefty, with Darin Ruf taking over at first base on each of those occasions.

Howard is out of the lineup again Friday against the Marlins, Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

EDGE Analysis

With another left-handed pitcher in Wei-Yin Chen scheduled to pitch Friday, Howard will once again take a seat on the bench. Darin Ruf will fill in for him at first base as usual.

Howard is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cardinals, CSN Philadelphia's Jim Salisbury reports.

EDGE Analysis

With the Cardinals starting left-handed Jaime Garcia on the mound, Darin Ruf will man first base for the Phillies. Howard has only logged 12 at-bats against southpaws this season, tallying two hits (including a home run) and two RBI.

Howard went 1-for-3 with a three-run homer and two strikeouts against the Cardinals on Wednesday.

EDGE Analysis

Well, aside from the .333 batting average, that's Howard in a nutshell -- of his 87 at-bats this season, a whopping 41 have ended in either a homer (seven) or a strikeout (34). He's homered in consecutive games, but he's also posted five straight multi-strikeout games as part of a streak of 12 straight games with a whiff. Those fantasy owners willing to hold their noses and play Howard for the homers should know full well what they're getting into by now.