The Detroit Tigers placed right-hander Spencer Turnbull, who leads the starting rotation with a 2.88 ERA, on the 10-day injured list Saturday morning.
Turnbull, 28, was diagnosed with a right forearm strain. The Tigers removed him from Friday’s 9-8 loss to the Chicago White Sox after the fourth inning, which is when Turnbull reported tightness in his forearm to athletic trainer Doug Teter and manager AJ Hinch.
The timetable for his return is unclear.
HEALTHY AGAIN: Tigers prospect Joey Wentz is back from Tommy John surgery: ‘I feel great’
STOCK WATCH: Miguel Cabrera is still struggling; Casey Mize keeps shoving
To fill Turnbull’s spot on the roster, the Tigers recalled righty reliever Bryan Garcia from Triple-A Toledo. He opened the season in the majors but was sent down to the minor leagues May 31 because of his 7.23 ERA across 18⅔ innings in 19 games. He had 14 walks and 18 strikeouts.
For Toledo, Garcia delivered 1⅓ scoreless innings in one game.
Losing Turnbull, for any period of time, is a tough loss for the Tigers. The starting rotation ranks 11th-best in MLB with a combined 3.83 ERA. In his past five starts, Turnbull owns a 1.74 ERA, seven walks and 29 strikeouts across 31 innings. He threw the eighth no-hitter in franchise history May 18 against the Seattle Mariners.
FRIDAY’S LOSS: Tigers drop slugfest to White Sox, 9-8, in ninth inning
TURNBULL’S INJURY: Spencer Turnbull leaves game with right forearm tightness
Against the White Sox, Turnbull fired four innings of one-run ball. He struck out four batters, didn’t concede a walk and only allowed two hits — a solo home run to Yasmani Grandal in the second inning and an infield single to Nick Madrigal in the third inning.
He finished a perfect fourth inning with a 12-pitch swinging strikeout against Yermin Mercedes. The at-bat included eight foul balls, and Turnbull reached 96-97 mph with his fastball numerous times in an attempt to get him out.
The Tigers expect to get right-handed starter Jose Urena back from his right forearm strain for Sunday’s four-game series finale against the White Sox. He missed one start after being placed on the 10-day injured list May 29, retroactive to May 27.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
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.