Ian Riccaboni wonders what happens if the Phillies fill-in platoon at first base works. He suggests that the first baseman used against lefties might continue in that role, since Ryan Howard doesn’t do all that well against lefties, and the platoon gives the big slugger time off to recover.

My guess is money trumps all. The Phillies are not paying Ryan the big bucks to sit on the bench. Of course, this would be less of a problem if Philadelphia had waited to extend Howard until he was closer to the end of his contract.