Phillies’ Howard had to have knee drained after Monday’s injury

A day after he left the game with what the Phillies called a left knee contusion, Ryan Howard did not join his teammates to stretch before batting practice on Tuesday.

Not only had the injury forced Howard from Monday night’s extra-inning loss, but it also necessitated a trip to the emergency room so the 35-year-old first baseman could get his knee drained.

“So that doesn’t look good, but we’re just going to go day to day and see what happens,” Phillies interim manager Pete Mackanin said.

Any details more than that were unclear as of Tuesday afternoon. Howard was not available to speak to reporters before the game. Regarding the first baseman’s status for the season’s final 16 games, Mackanin said he knew only that he was day to day.

Howard was at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday and appeared to be in good spirits, according to Mackanin. The manager was under the impression that Howard was still using crutches. It is worth noting that left knee surgery prematurely ended Howard’s 2013 season.

“The thing about Howie that is admirable is that this guy wants to play,” Mackanin said. “He never wants a day off. He posts up every day. He’s ready to play every day. That’s a nice trait to have.”

Darin Ruf started at first base Tuesday and batted sixth in the Phillies’ lineup against Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg. Even before Howard’s injury, Ruf was set to start again Wednesday with lefthander Gio Gonzalez on the mound. The team is off Thursday before opening a three-game set in Atlanta on Friday night.

Aaron Altherr was also kept out of the lineup with a sore right elbow. The 24-year-old outfielder was hit by a pitch by Jonathan Papelbon in the 10th inning of Monday’s game. Altherr was available to pinch-run Tuesday, Mackanin said.

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