Cubs minor-league director Jared Banner confirmed Tuesday that Howard will be out for the rest of the 2022 season after suffering a serious left hip injury in a May 10 game with High-A South Bend, Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago reports. South Bend transferred Howard from its 7-day injured list to 60-day IL on Tuesday.

EDGE Analysis

Banner didn't elaborate on the nature of the injury and didn't say whether or not Howard will require surgery, but at the very least, the 20-year-old will require more than four months of rehab and recovery time. The No. 16 overall pick in the 2020 first-year player draft was hitting .244 with a home run, three stolen bases and 10 RBI in 23 games before going down with the injury.