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.