Ryan Howard Could Make Lakewood Rehab Start Thursday

The Lakewood BlueClaws are set to wear their own version of Philadelphia Phillies throwback uniforms on Thursday and if everything goes according to plan one of the biggest names in the history of the franchise could be wearing one.

The South Atlantic League affiliate of the Phils announced on Tuesday night that Ryan Howard could be making a rehab start with the Claws starting on Thursday night. Howard, the hard hitting first baseman will undergo "functional testing on his left Achilles," in Philadelphia on Wednesday to determine how his recovery is progressing. 

This will not be Howard's first time at FirstEnergy Park. He was with the team in 2002 and has done rehab stints in 2007 and 2010 at which time his number 29 jersey was retired. 

General Manager Geoff Brown said Howard's arrival in the park will be a big event for the team. "We're very excited to hopefully bring Ryan back to Lakewood," he said. "It's always a treat for our fans to see a big leaguer back with the BlueClaws and especially so here with one of our greatest former players."

The BlueClaws started a streak of home games on Monday night that includes four games against the West Virginia Power and five games against the Hagerstown Suns. For information on tickets for the games call 732-901-7000 and pick option 2 or by going here.