Phillies place Ryan Howard on 15-day DL

Earlier today, Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard was a late scratch from tonight's lineup due to soreness in his left knee.

Now the Phillies have placed Howard on the 15-day disabled list, the team announced via Twitter.

With Howard out of the lineup, Laynce Nix will play first base and hit seventh against the Braves tonight.

To take Howard's roster spot, the Phillies have called up Darren Ruf, who is expected to join the club at some point during tonight's game.

On the season, Howard is hitting .266 with 11 home runs and 43 runs batted in.  Howard is tied for second on the team in homers with Chase Utley and is second in RBI, trailing Domonic Brown in both categories.

Ryan Howard and Phillies agree on contract

Ryan Howard has had a pretty good 12 months.

He led the majors in HRs (48) and RBIs (146) in 2008. The Philadelphia Phillies won the 2008 World Series. Now add a 3-year, $54 million contract to go with it.

In either case, Howard would not have become eligible for free agency until 2011 due to his MLB length of service (4 years). But now the Phillies and Howard will avoid arbitration during that span.

"We're very pleased to have avoided the arbitration process, not just for this year, but also for the next two," general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said. "Ryan is clearly one of the top power hitters and run producers in the major leagues and is a very important part of our championship club."

Howard had asked for $18 million and the Phillies offered him $14 million for 2008. Last year, Howard earned $10 million.

Howard will now earn $15 million (2009), $19 million (2010) and $20 million (2011).