Detroit — It was an odd juxtaposition of events, to be sure.
Minutes after two of the Tigers’ injured young pitching stars completed encouraging bullpen sessions on the stadium mound hours before the game Tuesday — Tarik Skubal throwing to hitters and Matt Manning throwing his second full bullpen — manager AJ Hinch told the media that the ace of his rotation, Eduardo Rodriguez, was being placed on the injured list because of a ruptured A4 pulley of his left index finger.
“We’re going to give him a week to 10 days of rest and then re-evaluate where he’s at,” Hinch said. “Any time you lose a primary player, or any player that’s active, it creates a cascade effect on the roster. We’ll address it as we go. We need to get him healthy and get him back. That’s all we can focus on at this point.”
Generally speaking, even the lowest-grade rupture has a minimum recovery time of six weeks. For Grade-3 and Grade-4 ruptures, recovery time can take up to eight weeks. The A4 pulley is located on the palm side of the finger, between the first and second knuckles.
Hinch said Rodriguez felt the pain in his finger late in his six-inning start against the White Sox on Sunday.
Rodriguez, who can opt out of his contract after this season and has been mentioned across the industry as a prime trade candidate before the Aug. 1 deadline, was having an All-Star-worthy season. His 2.13 ERA ranks third in the American League, his 2.5 pitcher’s WAR is second and his 0.975 WHIP is fifth.
“It’s always hard to lose one of your better players,” Hinch said. “But, it’s one (start) of five days. It shouldn’t impact games two, three, four and five. We will feel that impact because it’s Eduardo and how well he was doing. But, we can’t spend a lot of time thinking about it.
“We’ve got to get him healthy and hope it’s a quick return.”
Hinch said they were discussing various scenarios to replace Rodriguez in the rotation. He said he’d have something more concrete on Wednesday.
In the short-term, the Tigers called up 28-year-old right-handed reliever Braden Bristo from Triple-A Toledo to add a fresh arm in the bullpen for the next couple of days. Bristo, who was with the Tampa Bay Rays earlier this season, has struggled with the Mud Hens (14 runs and 10 walks in 12 innings).
Because it is expected to be a short stay, the Tigers didn’t want to burn an option on a prospect like Brendan White, who has been pitching well all season.
One option to replace Rodriguez in the rotation would be right-hander Reese Olson. In his last three starts, Olson has allowed two runs in 14.1 innings with 22 strikeouts and six walks.
“Every team is going to go through this,” Hinch said. “It’s our turn, I guess. We will absorb it the best we can.”
It feels like it’s been the Tigers’ turn for a while. Rodriguez is the fifth starter to go on the IL. He joins Manning, Skubal, Spencer Turnbull and Casey Mize.
Vierling to IL
The Tigers Tuesday also put outfielder Matt Vierling on the injured list because of back soreness. An MRI revealed inflammation in the lumbar spine.
“He’s feeling better,” Hinch said. “He’ll go to Chicago with us (this weekend) and we will see how much baseball activity he can do. But, we just couldn’t play short a man.”
Called up from Toledo to take Vierling’s place was Tyler Nevin, who started in right field on Tuesday.
“I feel good,” said Nevin, who was up for 10 games earlier this season. “I feel I’m in a good groove. I’m just excited. Being down there, seeing the success the team has had, it seems like it’s a lot of fun to be a part of. I’m excited to be with it.”
Nevin has been stinging Triple-A pitching all season. Over his last 15 games, he’s hitting .313 with a .362 on-base percentage.
Rehab stint imminent
As Skubal again mowed down the six hitters he faced in his second live batting-practice session Tuesday, his fastball ringing the gun in the upper-90s, it’s very likely his next stop will be a minor-league rehab stint.
“He looks very much like the Tarik Skubal we expect,” said Hinch, who watched the session from behind the backstop.
Skubal is coming back from flexor tendon surgery. For Manning, who is working back after breaking his foot in Toronto, it was his second full bullpen session and the first off the game mound. The two alternated innings. Skubal struck out Andy Ibanez and Jake Rogers twice; he struck out Nick Maton and walked him. There wasn’t a single ball put in play.
“Manning is further behind than Skubal,” Hinch said. “But, on a day like today, when we’re announcing Eddie (Rodriguez) on the IL, it sure is nice to see those guys trending in the right direction.”
Manning is expected to travel with the Tigers to Chicago and Philadelphia. At some point during the trip, he is expected to throw to hitters. Hinch wanted to gather more information before he talked about Skubal’s next step.
“I just hope they both report tomorrow feeling great,” he said. “We have some scenarios in mind, but we need more information before we write those down in pen.”
Skubal, who last pitched competitively on Aug. 1, 2022, would likely need four or five rehab starts before the Tigers contemplate reinstating him.
Around the horn
… The Tigers acquired outfielder Jake Marisnick from the Chicago White Sox for cash. Marisnick, 32, played for Hinch in Houston. Since 2019, he’s bounced around from six different organizations. He was slashing .260/.408/.396 with an .804 OPS at Triple-A Charlotte before the White Sox designated him for assignment. Marisnick, who is not on the Tigers’ 40-man roster, will likely report to Toledo.
Rangers at Tigers
First pitch: 1:10 p.m. Comerica Park
TV/Radio: BSD/ 97.1
Scouting report
RHP Dane Dunning (4-0, 1.67), Rangers: Alex Faedo’s old teammate at University of Florida is on a roll. And he’s a brand-new father. This will be his first start since the birth of his son. In the four previous starts, he allowed just four runs in 22.2 innings. He has a 0.97 WHIP on the season, holding hitters to a .206 batting average. Opponents are hitting just .174 off his slider (91 mph) and cutter (89 mph) with 15 strikeouts.
LHP Joey Wentz (1-5, 7.80), Tigers: It’s been a hellish month for him, to be sure. He’s allowed 21 earned runs in 20.1 innings over five starts with a 1.051 opponent OPS. He’s worked diligently to regain command and confidence in his secondary pitches, which would go a long way in getting hitters off his fastball. They are feasting on it — .405 average, .676 slug, five homers.
Twitter: @cmccosky