Athletes Beyond Bartow: Howard continues rehab with oblique strain

While his fellow local professional baseball players work their way through the dog days of summer, former Cartersville High pitcher Sam Howard continues to rehab an oblique injury.

The Pittsburgh reliever has been on the shelf since July 13. The latest update revealed that Howard has been playing catch but hasn't yet resumed throwing off a mound. The 28-year-old is slated to return to the Pirates sometime in August.

Sam Howard - Pittsburgh Pirates (8th-year pro; Cartersville HS) — The southpaw is expected to resume throwing later this week. Howard has been in shutdown mode since landing on the IL on July 13 due to a right oblique strain, but he's about ready to begin ramping up again. The 28-year-old left-handed reliever probably won't be ready to return to the Pirates before mid-to-late August.

Connor Justus - Pensacola Blue Wahoos (6th-year pro; Miami Marlins organization; Cartersville HS) — Justus went 0-for-12 with three walks in four games last week at Montgomery. He scored one run and had one RBI. The 26-year-old now has 169 official at-bats in split time between Pensacola and Triple-A Jacksonville. His batting average stands at .154 with one home run and eight extra-base hits, including 16 RBIs. The Blue Wahoos (37-35) host the Mississippi Braves (40-32) Tuesday through Sunday in a six-game series.

Luke Schiltz - AZL Rangers (Texas Rangers organization; 3rd year pro; Cartersville native; Stoneman Douglas HS, FL) — Schiltz has seen action on the mound in two Arizona League games, working two-thirds of an inning in his July 13 and July 20 stints. The right-hander has yielded seven runs (three earned) on three hits and three walks with a pair of strikeouts. The AZL Rangers (8-8) have games in the coming week against the affiliates of Seattle, Kansas City and the L.A. Angels.

Anthony Seigler - Hudson Valley Renegades (4th-year pro; New York Yankees organization; Cartersville HS) — In four games at Aberdeen last week, the switch-hitting catcher was 4-for-19 with two walks, a double and three RBIs. For the season, the Yankees' 2018 first-round selection has a .202 batting average in 124 official at-bats. He has a pair of home runs and 19 RBIs with 14 extra-base hits. The Renegades (47-25) remain in first place by 8.5 games in the High-A East's North Division. Hudson Valley plays a six-game home series with Wilmington (29-43) this week.

— Nicholas Sullivan of The Daily Tribune News contributed to this report.