The Tigers placed right-hander Trey Wingenter on the 15-day injured list due to tendinitis in his throwing shoulder. Wingenter’s placement is retroactive to April 19. Righty Will Vest was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move.
The IL stint adds to an overall tough start to the season for Wingenter, who has an 8.31 ERA over six appearances and 4 1/3 innings of work. While it’s hard to extrapolate from such a small sample size, it does seem like Wingenter has been unlucky to post such a large ERA —- his SIERA is a much more respectable 3.83, while his BABIP is a hefty .385.
Some rust was probably to be expected given that Wingenter has pitched only three innings of rookie ball since the start of the 2020 season. Due to Tommy John surgery and then a variety of elbow and back problems, Wingenter’s three innings of rehab assignment work marked his only action over three full seasons. Given his checkered injury history, the hope is that Wingenter’s latest IL visit will prove to be a short one, and it could be that the tendinitis is simply a side effect from getting back to pitching on a regular basis.
Prior to that extended layoff, Wingenter showed some promise as a high-velocity, high-strikeout relief arm over 70 innings with the Padres in 2018-19. He signed a minor league deal with Detroit over the offseason and looked very good in Spring Training, earning himself a role on the Tigers’ Opening Day roster.