Didi returns with new double-play mate

During a week in which the Phillies placed three players on the COVID-19 injured list, while also seeing each of their starting middle infielders sustain an injury, the club finally received some good news Friday.

Didi Gregorius, who had missed the last three games with a sore right elbow, started at shortstop in Friday's series opener against the Rockies at Coors Field. He slotted into the No. 5 spot in the order, with Alec Bohm dropping to No. 6 for just the second time this season.

"It's great to get Didi back," manager Joe Girardi said. "He feels even a lot better than he did on Wednesday, so we feel pretty good about that."

Gregorius will have a new double-play partner upon his return, with Nick Maton getting the start at second base Friday after Jean Segura (strained right quad) was placed on the injured list Wednesday.

Veteran infielder Brad Miller was originally in the starting lineup at second base, but he was scratched 70 minutes before first pitch due to a stiff neck. Miller matched a career high with four hits as the starting second baseman in Wednesday’s victory over the Giants, while the 24-year-old Maton had three knocks of his own filling in for Gregorius at short.

Defensively, Gregorius isn't worried about either Maton or Miller manning the keystone. It's also nothing new for Gregorius, who worked alongside four second basemen -- Segura, Scott Kingery, Neil Walker and Phil Gosselin -- over 60 games last season.

"I'm comfortable with everybody," Gregorius said. "We all talk in Spring Training and everything. ... Everybody wants to stay healthy, but things happen, so you just make adjustments on the fly and go from there."

Prior to his injury, Gregorius had recorded at least one hit in 13 of his 14 starts this season. He also entered Friday night still tied for the team lead with 10 RBIs -- and he could get even more opportunities with how Bryce Harper (11-for-17 with five walks in his last five games) has been swinging the bat.

Howard's role

Spencer Howard turned some heads with his dazzling relief outing in Wednesday's victory. It's not necessarily a surprise to see a club's top prospect spin 1 1/3 perfect innings -- but it was the way that he did it.

Howard's fastball was once again sitting in the high 90s. He's averaging 96.4 mph with the pitch this season, and he's already uncorked 13 pitches of at least 97 mph -- a mark he reached just once on the 248 fastballs that he threw last season. That's a big reason why he's relied on his four-seamer for 43 of the 53 pitches that he's thrown, while working in just five changeups, four sliders and one curveball.

It's unclear whether Howard -- the team's No. 1 prospect per MLB Pipeline -- will stick with the big league club once José Alvarado and Matt Moore clear COVID-19 protocols, but the 24-year-old has certainly caught Girardi's attention.

"There's always a chance. You're never sure what's going to happen," Girardi said. "He threw the ball very well the other day, so we'll continue to monitor how he's doing. I really like the way he threw the ball the other day."

For now, Howard's relief outings will be limited to 40 pitches, and Girardi plans to give him more rest between appearances since he's not accustomed to coming out of the bullpen.

But could Howard take on a high-leverage role with a few more performances like Wednesday?

"His role is kind of a jack-of-all-trades, I guess is the best way to put it," Girardi said. "I think you try to slowly give them more and more as they handle more and more. ... With Spencer, if I was to use him out of the bullpen, I'll give him more responsibility as you see fit."

Worth noting

• Hitting coach Joe Dillon and bullpen coach David Lundquist are back with the team after entering COVID-19 protocols last Friday. Fellow coaches Paco Figueroa, Bobby Meacham and Dusty Wathan remain away from the club, as do Alvarado, Moore and infielder Ronald Torreyes. Girardi said that he doesn't expect the trio of players to rejoin the team in Colorado, though they could be back for next week's series in St. Louis.

• The Phillies' five-player taxi squad in Colorado consists of right-handers JD Hammer and Ramón Rosso, outfielder Matt Vierling, utility player Luke Williams and catcher Rafael Marchan.