Per Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Spencer Howard will make one of the starts in Sunday’s scheduled doubleheader against the Atlanta Braves.

The 24-year-old Howard is the Phillies’ top pitching prospect and is expected to join Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola to form the core of the team’s starting rotation for several years to come.

No offense to other Phillies’ pitchers that have made their major-league debuts in recent years, but both the buzz and expectations are different with Howard.

Should you be excited?

If what Phillies pitching coach Bryan Price had to say about Howard last month holds true, then, yes, you should be excited.

“He would be a top-end prospect in any organization because he has power, he throws strikes, he’s athletic. He’s got a really, really good changeup and breaking ball,” Price said. “The key component there is stuff with strikes, stuff with command. The sky is the limit, and in the same respect, then you have to get to the big leagues and perform at this level before you start to define where you are.”

It also sounds like Howard is here for good. I asked Joe Girardi on Thursday about the team’s plan for Howard.

“Well, I think that when he arrives, I don’t think we’re going to be sending him back and forth. I think we’re going to give him an opportunity to grow into a role. I think that’s kind of our plan,” he said. “Obviously, players have to perform. That’s the bottom line, but I don’t think you’re going to take one outing and say ‘oh, he’s not ready or he is ready.’ Time will tell where he’s at, but we have high hopes for him and really believe in him.

Girardi also said the team has had discussions about utilizing Howard in a relief role, though that seems unlikely – at least at the moment.

“We talked about both roles for him, and depending on when he gets here and how we do it,” he said. “We’ll have to manage, because he’s not used to throwing out of the bullpen. I wouldn’t look for him to throw back-to-back days if we put him in the bullpen. I would look for him to be more of a multiple inning guy who could get us big outs – that sort of thing.”

However, with the Phillies slated to play numerous doubleheaders in the coming weeks, there will be a consistent need for an extra arm to fill a rotation spot. Presumably, Howard will be that arm.

No word yet on which game he will start.