Howard will make his spring debut Tuesday against the Twins, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Howard was delayed by a knee tweak early in camp, but the reason he's been held out of Grapefruit League action thus far is probably more a matter of workload management. The righty should be starting in the majors at some point this season, as he owns a 3.28 ERA, 2.50 FIP and 32.8 percent strikeout rate in his minor-league career, but with only six starts at the Double-A level, he'll likely need some more time in the minors before being considered for a callup. The Phillies won't want to waste too many of his innings outside the big-league roster in a season in which they're hoping to finally compete. He's unlikely to handle a particularly heavy workload after throwing just 71 innings last season. In that context, his slow start to spring makes sense.