The Phillies recalled Howard (back) from their taxi squad and designated him as the 27th man for Tuesday's doubleheader with the Mets, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Howard's bid for a spot in the Phillies' Opening Day rotation was foiled by a bout of back spasms in mid-March, but he appears to have returned to full health since the conclusion of spring training. Philadelphia will continue to develop Howard as a starter, but he'll be available out of the bullpen for the twin bill before likely returning to the alternate site.