WASHINGTON – Ryan Howard was wearing black designer sunglasses and packing a Louis Vuitton bag, but his most conspicuous accessories were the silver crutches he used to navigate himself to the bus.
The first baseman’s sprained left ankle isn’t as serious an injury as it first appeared when he buckled to the dirt after landing awkwardly on second base in the first inning of the Phillies’ 6-4 win over the Nationals yesterday.
He will likely be sidelined for at least a couple of days, but said he is optimistic he won’t need a trip to the disabled list.
“I’m hoping not,” Howard said. “I guess once the swelling goes down we”ll see what happens. It’s just kind of a bad sprain. I just rolled it pretty bad.”
Manager Charlie Manuel, who along with athletic trainer Mark Andersen helped support Howard as he limped off the field, had a rosier outlook.
“He’s going to be OK,” said Manuel, whose team begins a three-game series in Florida tomorrow. “I don’t expect him to miss very much time. If anything, he might miss a day or 2.”