​Maybe Ryan Howard was only destined to play for the Philadelphia Phillies during his major league career.





His comeback with the Atlanta Braves' Triple-A squad is not going well so far, that's for sure.

Ryan Howard is 4-for-24 (.167) with 4 singles, 1 walk and 6 strikeouts in 7 games for Triple-A Gwinnett #Braves — David O'Brien (@DOBrienAJC) May 1, 2017

He ​started out a promising 3-for-6 at Gwinnett, but has fallen into a deep, deep slump. Without showing some improvement soon, he may never be able to make it back to the majors and play for the Braves.

Ryan Howard has four hits (all singles) and six strikeouts through 24 ABs with Gwinnett. He's 1-for-18 w/ 5 Ks over his past five games. — Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) May 1, 2017

Howard's struggles prior to end of his tenure with the Phillies last season were well-noted; he wasn't going out like David Ortiz, that's for sure.





But he still would have had the opportunity to walk away a champion, a legend, and an inner-circle Phillies fan favorite. He's costing himself all of those things by languishing in Triple-A for a rival in embarrassing fashion.





Howard may still love to play, but the game doesn't love him back. Triple-A is teaching him a tough lesson about retiring at the right time, even if you're not enthusiastic about it.