It seems as though it was a setback after all. Speaking to reporters today, Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr said that the team has no timetable for Ryan Howard's return after the first baseman had a procedure to treat an infection in his surgically repaired Achilles.
"I don't know when he's going to start baseball activities," Amaro said. "I don't have any idea. I don't have any time frame one way or another. Hopefully he can get the boot off as soon as possible and we can be sure. We're not going to do anything with him unless we're sure the infection is out.
"He could be backed up for a while. I don't know. I really don't know. I don't have any time frame."
Amaro said that he'll be in a walking boot for 7-10 days, which is how long it should take for the infection to leave his body. The Phils' GM did stress that his Achillies is structurally sound and that when the infection is gone, he'll be clear to get back to work.
"At least we know his Achilles is intact," Amaro said. "It hasn't been compromised. That was a concern. So far, it's not an issue. Once he gets the boot out, we can be pretty aggressive with him because it's intact and he's good to go. Right now the priority is to get the infection out because we can't compromise any more because it will be longer."
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