If Detroit Tigers manager AJ Hinch had to decide right now, he would skip Jose Urena’s next start — scheduled for Monday against the Milwaukee Brewers — because of lower right forearm cramping.
Urena, 29, was removed from Wednesday’s 1-0 win over Cleveland with two outs in the sixth inning. He threw 82 pitches but started dealing with pain during the fourth inning. Urena has felt similar cramping in his forearm before, usually when he throws a lot of curveballs.
“We’ll come to a collective agreement over the next 24 hours,” Hinch said Friday. “If I was leaning one way today, I would try to do something different in Milwaukee and have him catch back up in Chicago with a start.”
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Hinch said Urena is “feeling better” and wants to pitch against the Brewers. Also important: If Urena pitches in the National League park, he’ll have to bat in the game.
Urena is 11-for-145 (.076) with three walks and 97 strikeouts at the plate in his MLB career. Before joining the Tigers this offseason, he spent six seasons in the National League, all with the Miami Marlins. He has two extra-base hits — both doubles — and three RBIs.
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Although Urena has experience in the batter’s box, Hinch doesn’t want to risk further injury by allowing Urena to swing the bat.
“I want to be very conservative with him,” Hinch said. “We’re having meetings and conversations about that. He’s not going to throw his bullpen today, even though he says he could. And we’ll make a decision in the next day or so on what the plan is for him.
“Based on where we’re at, with an off day coming up after the Milwaukee series and having it only be two games in a National League park, my initial reaction is to be very conservative with this and nip any sort of soreness in the bud and just be done with it.”
Through 10 starts and 54⅓ innings, Urena has a 4.14 ERA, 22 walks and 35 strikeouts. He has pitched into the sixth inning in six of his starts and completed seven innings in four consecutive starts from April 16-May 2.
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Reyes scratched with injury
In the fifth inning of Thursday’s 5-2 loss to Cleveland, Hinch and athletic trainer Doug Teter went to check on Victor Reyes’ chest in the middle of his at-bat. He went 1-for-4 with an RBI triple in the ninth inning.
“We ran out there and he quickly said that he was fine and doing OK,” Hinch said Thursday. “When he went to first base, (Ramon Santiago) checked with him before he went back out to play the outfield. Based on how his last swings went and running out that triple, I’m pretty convinced he was telling the truth.”
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After Hinch submitted Friday’s lineup, Reyes reported pectoral stiffness. He scratched Reyes from the lineup, electing to use Niko Goodrum in center field. Harold Castro moved from designated hitter to shortstop, and Eric Haase entered as the DH.
“He lobbied to play,” Hinch said Friday. “But I’m just not going to take any chances, specifically on a cold night where the other guy (Gerrit Cole) is going to be throwing around 100 (mph). Probably a bad combo.”
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The injury shouldn’t hold Reyes out of the lineup in the future, Hinch said, and he doesn’t need further medical treatment.
“He was trying to play today,” Hinch said. “He went down and hit in the cage. He’s going to have full activity. The concern level is super low. It’s just not an optimal night to test any sort of injury, let alone when he was uncomfortable yesterday.”
Across 23 games, Reyes is hitting .157 with one home run, four RBIs, three walks and 21 strikeouts. He was optioned to Triple-A Toledo on May 8 but recalled to the majors Monday as the replacement for demoted center fielder JaCoby Jones.
Evan Petzold is a sports reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold. Read more on the Detroit Tigers and sign up for our Tigers newsletter.