Detroit Tigers place Derek Hill, Derek Holland on injured list, call up Daz Cameron

Detroit Free Press

The Detroit Tigers have placed center fielderDerek Hill and left-handed reliever Derek Holland on the 10-day injured list and called up outfielder Daz Cameron and righty reliever Alex Lange from Triple-A Toledo, the team announced Thursday.

Hill is dealing with a right shoulder sprain, while Holland has left shoulder inflammation.

In the first inning of Wednesday’s 9-6 loss to the Seattle Mariners, Hill made a leaping catch in center field, crashed into the Comerica Park wall and fell to the warning track. When Hill, 25, smacked into the wall, his shoulder took the impact.

Tigers manager AJ Hinch said Hill has a Grade 1 sprain, which means the ligaments stretched further than normal but didn’t completely tear.

“He was moving around pretty well today, surprisingly well,” Hinch said Thursday. “Given that it was going to be at least a week, we needed to make a move and let it calm down a little bit. Good news is it’s nothing too extreme but enough to put him on the IL.”

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Cameron, who made his MLB debut last season, joins the Tigers for the first time in 2021. He was removed from Wednesday’s game in Toledo as a precaution once the Mud Hens heard about Hill’s injury.

This season, Cameron has hit .338 with two home runs, 13 RBIs, six walks and 15 strikeouts in 18 games for Toledo, tossing in seven doubles, two triples and three stolen bases. He spent seven games in right field, six games in center field and four games in left field.

“He’s very intriguing because of how he’s been swinging the bat in Triple-A,” Hinch said. “We didn’t get a ton of looks at him in the spring, but he made a nice impression behind the scenes with the work he was doing. We’ll see if he can translate that into the big leagues.”

Cameron, 24, is the Tigers’ No. 9 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.

He played 17 games for the Tigers in 2020, finishing with a .193 batting average, two doubles, one triple, three RBIs, two walks and 19 strikeouts. Because of an elbow injury sustained in the Puerto Rican Winter League this offseason, Cameron was limited to 10 games and 12 at-bats in spring training.

“Last year, getting him up here and getting a little bit of experience should make his transition pretty easy,” Hinch said.

Another injury came up in the later innings of Wednesday’s loss, as Holland felt a problem with his shoulder in the seventh inning. His velocity — 92 mph with his fastball — was lower than in previous outings. This is Holland’s second stint on the injured list, after a left shoulder strain in early May.

“Right before the game ended, Doug (Teter, athletic trainer) cam out and told me that Holland was being evaluated by the doctor,” Hinch said. “We’ll see where it takes him moving forward. Last night’s outing sparked the conversation, and he reported some soreness.”

Holland, 34, has a 9.60 ERA, nine walks and 20 strikeouts in 15 innings this season. To replace him, the Tigers called up Lange, who made his MLB debut earlier in 2021. He registered a 7.43 ERA, four walks and 16 strikeouts across 13⅓ innings in his first big-league stint.

Lange, 25, has pitched seven games and 7⅓ innings for the Mud Hens, logging a 7.36 ERA, eight walks and seven strikeouts. He is ranked the organization’s No. 26 prospect.

“We need him to throw strikes,” Hinch said. “He had his moments of struggle in Triple-A. He also made a few adjustments to quicken up his delivery and pace of play to get on the rubber and get the ball headed toward home. I’m not sure how I’m going to use him yet. … We need the adjustments that we’ve asked him to make to come pretty quickly for him to reestablish himself as having a role here.

“Commanding the strike zone has been his issue. If he can fix that, he can be very effective.”

The Tigers conclude a three-game series Thursday against the Mariners.

Pregame injury, another roster move

Right-handed reliever Rony Garcia suddenly collapsed during Thursday’s warmups and required assistance from his teammates. Two athletic trainers helped him walk off the field.

Garcia was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left knee sprain. To fill his spot, the Tigers recalled righty reliever Beau Burrows from Triple-A Toledo.

“He was playing catch and buckled his knee,” Hinch said after Thursday’s game. “He’s got meniscus issues. He’s going to see a couple doctors. It doesn’t look good. He was in a lot of pain. … I feel bad for Rony. It looks like it’s going to be a rough one.”

Garcia, 23, has made two relief appearances for the Tigers this season. He has a 2.45 ERA, two walks and two strikeouts in 3⅔ innings. In four starts for Toledo, he posted a 3.20 ERA, 10 walks and 24 strikeouts in 19⅔ innings.

Burrows, 24, pitched five games for the Tigers in 2020, with a 5.40 ERA, one walk and three strikeouts. In Toledo this season, he has a 6.23 ERA, six walks and 17 strikeouts across 17⅓ innings. He made eight of his nine appearances as a reliever.

Evan Petzold is a sports reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzoldRead more on the Detroit Tigers and sign up for our Tigers newsletter

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