Howie Kendrick is starting a rehab assignment

Gather ‘round, friends, for I have a tale to share. A tale about a Phillies player named Howie Kendrick.

“I don’t remember him!”

“He’s not real!”

“He’s just a myth!”

Listen close, for none of that is true. He’s real, and he’s starting a rehab assignment on Wednesday.

That’s it. That’s the entire tale. Howie Kendrick is inching closer to returning to the Phillies, and is starting a rehab assignment with the IronPigs today.

The reason why Kendrick might seem like a distant memory or a mythical figure is that he’s only played in 10 games this season and has been out since mid-April with a strained oblique. I barely remember what happened to the Phillies last week, so it’s not unreasonable that Howie Kendrick has faded into fuzzy memory.

I’m kidding, I remember what happened to the Phillies last week. They lost.

In the ten games Kendrick actually played before he was injured, he did well. He was hitting .333/.395/.487 through 43 plate appearances. He hasn’t been playing any serious baseball for over a month, so that’s probably not how he’ll be hitting once he comes back.

Regardless of how he’ll do, he’ll be a welcome addition to the Phillies once he comes back. Another guy in the outfield/first base mix! Another guy who isn’t the guys we already know! And who knows, maybe Howie Kendrick is just what the team needs. I mean, probably not, but at this point I’m willing to try anything.