Howard cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Toledo on Saturday.

EDGE Analysis

Howard has been pitching in Toledo since mid-May, posting a 3.75 ERA, 19:9 K:BB and 1.42 WHIP in 12 innings over 14 appearances. After losing his spot on the 40-man roster Tuesday, the 29-year-old will remain with the Triple-A club.

The Tigers designated Howard for assignment Tuesday.

EDGE Analysis

He'll cede his spot on the 40-man roster to right-hander Drew Hutchison, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Toledo ahead of his scheduled start Tuesday against the Guardians. After being claimed off waivers from the Pirates in mid-May, Howard had pitched exclusively at the Triple-A level with his new organization. In 14 appearances out of the Toledo bullpen, Howard posted a 3.75 ERA and 1.42 WHIP in 12 innings.

Howard was claimed off waivers by the Tigers on Friday.

EDGE Analysis

Howard made three relief appearances for the Pirates in April and allowed two runs on two hits and four walks while striking out one in two innings. The southpaw was designated for assignment last weekend but will report to Triple-A Toledo now that he's found a new organization.

Howard was designated for assignment by the Pirates on Saturday.

EDGE Analysis

Howard had already lost his spot on the active roster when rosters shrunk to 26 players Monday. He'll now lose his spot on the 40-man as well as the Pirates clear space to select Michael Perez's contract.

The Pirates optioned Howard to Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday.

EDGE Analysis

Howard made three appearances out of the bullpen during his latest stint with the big club, covering two innings while giving up two earned runs on two hits and four walks. He was sent to the minors along with reliever Miguel Yajure on Monday with Pittsburgh needing to reduce its active roster from 28 to 26 men.

The Pirates recalled Howard from Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday.

EDGE Analysis

The addition of Howard gives the Pirates another lefty reliever after southpaw Anthony Banda (illness) was placed on the 10-day injured list in a corresponding move. After opening the season on the IL with back spasms, Howard was activated last Wednesday and optioned to Indianapolis, where he's given up an earned run over 2.2 innings between his two appearances with the affiliate.

The Pirates activated Howard (back) from the 10-day injured list Wednesday and optioned him to Triple-A Indianapolis, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

EDGE Analysis

The transaction comes one day after Howard made his first appearance for Indianapolis and the second of his rehab assignment after he opened the season the shelf due to a back strain. He recorded five outs in Tuesday's relief outing, so Howard looks like he'll face no restrictions moving forward. If he performs well over an extended stretch at Indianapolis, Howard could put himself on the radar for a call-up to the big club.

The Pirates shifted Howard's (back) rehab assignment from Low-A Bradenton to Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

EDGE Analysis

Howard will get a stiffer test for his second rehab outing after he struck out two and issued one walk over a scoreless inning for Bradenton on Friday. If all goes well in his appearance for Indianapolis, Howard could be activated from the 10-day injured list at some point over the weekend.

Howard (back) will begin a rehab assignment at Low-A Bradenton on Friday, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Howard was shut down late in spring training due to back spasms, but it's encouraging that he's now been cleared to appear in minor-league games. It's not yet clear when the southpaw will be able to make his season debut with the Pirates, but he appears to be trending toward a return.

The Pirates placed Howard on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with a mid-back strain, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

According to Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com, Howard's back injury had resulted in him being shut down from throwing as of Monday, so he seems likely to require more than the minimum amount of time on the shelf. Howard collected 12 holds and struck out 60 over 45 innings while filling a setup role for the Pirates in 2021, but poor ratios (5.60 ERA, 1.47 WHIP) made it difficult to extract value from him even in NL-only leagues.