Tigers Call Up Chance Ruffin, Send Down Lester Oliveros

The Detroit Tigers made a roster move following Sunday's 5-2 win over the Minnesota Twins. They called up relief pitcher Chance Ruffin from the Toledo Mud Hens and sent down relief pitcher Lester Oliveros.

Ruffin spent part of this season in Double-A Erie and part of it in Triple-A Toledo. In Erie, he had an ERA of 2.12 and pitched 34.0 innings. In Toledo, he pitched in 9.0 innings and had an ERA of 2.00.

Although Ruffin is set to join Detroit starting on Monday, Tigers manager Jim Leyland admitted he doesn't know very much about his new reliever. From MLive:

"I don't know anything about him," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "I know nothing about him except he's tough, he's good and he's from Texas."

The Tigers selected Ruffin with the 48th overall pick in the 2010 MLB Draft.

As for Oliveros, he made nine appearances for the Tigers and ended up having an ERA of 5.63. He is now headed back to Toledo, where he had a 4.37 ERA in 22.2 innings earlier this year.

Tigers Call Up Below And Furbush; Send Down Wells And Wilk

The I-75 shuttle between Detroit and Toledo was busy after the Tigers’ 8-3 win over the Athletics Tuesday night.

Duane Below, the starting pitcher for Wednesday’s game, was called up from Triple-A Toledo. Coming up with him is pitcher Charlie Furbush, one of the other candidates for that fifth spot in the starting rotation.

To make room for Below and the extra reliever that the bullpen now needs, reliever Adam Wilk and outfielder Casper Wells were sent down to Toledo.

Furbush is going to stay in the Tigers’ bullpen for now, despite being moved to the starting rotation before his demotion to Toledo. As mentioned, he was one of the options the Tigers had for Wednesday’s start. But Furbush struggled in his two appearances as a starter, going 0-2 with an 8.59 ERA in just 7 1/3 innings. As a reliever, Furbush had much more big league success, posting a 2.49 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 21 2/3 innings.

Wilk hadn’t seen much action with the Tigers, making just five appearances and compiling a 5.40 ERA. He’ll likely replace Below in the Mud Hens’ starting rotation, where he had a 4-5 record and 3.75 ERA in 10 starts.

For Wells, the demotion is a rough development. He’s essentially losing out in a roster squeeze. The Tigers needed to keep Andy Dirks as a left-handed bat, with Austin Jackson and Magglio Ordonez in the starting lineup. And Ryan Raburn could work in as a right-handed reserve outfielder. (Whether you think he deserves it or not, his contract effectively keeps him on the roster.)

In 124 plate appearances, Wells batted .259/.325/.455 with four home runs and 12 RBIs. He played all three outfield positions, but saw the majority of his time in right field while Ordonez was out. Right now, there just isn’t a spot for him.

Tigers Give Duane Below Wednesday Start Versus Athletics

It’s not as exciting a choice as Jacob Turner (ESPN.com agrees) — or even Charlie Furbush — would’ve been. But it might be the safest option.

The fifth spot in the Detroit Tigers’ starting rotation comes up for the first time since the All-Star break on Wednesday, and the man taking the mound against the Oakland Athletics will be Duane Below.

Below (pronounced “BEE-low”) will make his major league debut after spending six seasons in the Tigers organization. This season with Triple-A Toledo, he’s compiled a 9-4 record and 3.13 ERA in 18 starts, adding 83 strikeouts in 115 innings.

To give you an idea of what kind of pitcher you’ll be seeing on Wednesday, John Wagner of the Toledo Blade included these notes during his last start for the Mud Hens:

Below threw 20 pitches, 13 for strikes, in the first. His fastball sat at 90-92 mph (four at 90, one at 91, four at 92 and one at 93). Below threw a lot of breaking balls, especially curves, which sat at 78 mph (one at 79, three at 78, one at 76, and a bad one at 72). He also had one pitch at 85 (a slider, I believe, but it could have been a change-up).

TigsTown.com’s Mark Anderson says Below has one of the best curveballs in the Tigers’ system. He’s also been throwing his changeup less, trying to incorporate a cutter into his repertoire.

Below doesn’t seem likely to be the Tigers’ answer to their fifth starter question, given that this is the first time he’s appeared in the majors. But he’s pitched pretty well in the minors over the past three seasons and deserves a shot. At the very least, he can hopefully man fill that fifth spot suitably until the Tigers acquire a starting pitcher through trade. (That appears to be a near-certainty, given all the rumors currently surrounding them.)

Tigers Outright Reliever Brad Thomas To Triple-A Toledo

Whatever direction the Detroit Tigers decide to go with their left-handed reliever corps, Brad Thomas will no longer be a part of that process.

The Tigers announced on Thursday that Thomas had been outrighted to Triple-A Toledo after clearing waivers. Thomas was activated from the 15-day disabled list, where he’d been since May 21, and now has 72 hours to decide whether to accept the assignment to Toledo or refuse it and become a free agent. (He has $400,000 remaining on the one-year contract he signed with Detroit before this season.)

With three lefties already in the bullpen — David Purcey, Adam Wilk and the newly returned Phil Coke — in addition to Charlie Furbush and Daniel Schlereth also being available for call-up, it was pretty apparent that there wasn’t a spot available for Thomas anymore.

FOXSports.com’s Jon Paul Morosi reported that the Tigers were trying to trade Thomas, but it’s difficult to imagine that there was much of a market for him. Thomas compiled a 9.00 ERA in 12 appearances this season, with 17 hits and six walks allowed in 11 innings. Worst of all, lefty batters were hitting .400 (with a 1.030 OPS) against him.

He posted far better numbers last season, allowing a .252 batting average versus lefties and a 3.89 ERA. But between his performance this season, and elbow problems that put him on the DL, Thomas didn’t have much value to offer.

Thomas had been on a rehab assignment with the Mud Hens, but once again encountered setbacks with his elbow that required him to return to Detroit and be examined by team doctors. Major league rules dictate that a pitcher’s rehab assignment can last only 30 days, and that limit had been reached. That probably forced the Tigers’ hand a bit, though their decision seemed inevitable.

If Thomas’ career with the Tigers is over, his final numbers were a 6-3 record and 4.59 ERA in 61 appearances. (That includes two spot starts.)

Tigers Send Charlie Furbush To Toledo, Recall Danny Worth

Giving up nine runs in less than three innings of work is no way to get through the majors, Charlie Furbush.

Only four of those runs were earned, as Ramon Santiago’s third-inning error opened the floodgates for a five-run deluge by the Kansas City Royals in Saturday’s 13-6 win over the Detroit Tigers.

Following the game, the Tigers announced that Furbush was being sent down to Triple-A Toledo. Given that Saturday’s outing was only Furbush’s second major league start after pitching impressively in 12 relief outings, it’s doubtul that he was demoted solely for his meltdown against the Royals. But after allowing 12 runs (seven earned) over 7 1/3 innings as a starter, something needed to change.

Perhaps the primary reason for sending Furbush to Toledo is that the Tigers won’t need a fifth starter until July 20, thanks to the All-Star break. Rather than keeping him on the shelf for 10 days, Furbush can get innings and work on throwing strikes with the Mud Hens.

It’s a bit curious that the Tigers wouldn’t just keep Furbush with the big league club and have him pitch out of the bullpen. But with the All-Star break and an off-day on July 18, the team will be off for five of the next nine days. Furbush could stay on his regular schedule and pitch July 14 when the Mud Hens come back from the Triple-A All-Star break. This might all indicate that the Tigers intend to keep Furbush in the starting rotation.

Manager Jim Leyland certainly seems encouraged by what he’s seen, Saturday’s start excepted.

“That’s a work in progress, but it’s a nice work in progress,” Tigers manager Jim Leyland said of Furbush. “I like him a lot. He’s a good-looking young pitcher.”

Taking Furbush’s place on the roster for now is infielder Danny Worth. Worth was with the Tigers earlier in the season, getting the call up from Toledo when Scott Sizemore was traded to Oakland. He played in 17 games, batting .310 in 31 plate appearances, before being optioned back to Triple-A when Brandon Inge was activated from the disabled list.

Tigers Send Brayan Villarreal Back To Toledo

Following Saturday's loss to the San Francisco Giants, the Detroit Tigers sent relief pitcher Brayan Villarreal back to Triple-A Toledo. They also recalled Adam Wilk, who will rejoin the team after being sent down just a couple weeks ago.

Villarreal was just brought back up to the Tigers last week when Daniel Schlereth was demoted to the Mud Hens. Schlereth had been struggling, so he was sent down to Triple-A Toledo, giving Villarreal another shot at making it with the Tigers.

Villarreal's stint in Detroit lasted all of two games and all of two-thirds of an inning. He appeared against the Giants on Friday and walked a runner with the bases loaded for the eventual game-winning run. He appeared a day later in the Tigers' 15-3 loss to San Francisco and gave up a grand slam in his one-third of an inning. He also had two walks in that appearance.

Wilk is back with the Tigers after being sent down when Ryan Perry returned. Wilk last appeared for the Tigers on June 17 against the Rockies, pitching four innings and giving up four runs.

Tigers Activate Brandon Inge From DL, Send Down Danny Worth

You can keep Brandon Inge out for a while, but you cannot keep the man down. The Detroit Tigers activated Inge from the 15-day disabled list on Thursday. He’d been out for the past 20 games while recovering from mononucleosis.

To clear a spot on the active roster for Inge, infielder Danny Worth was sent down to Triple-A Toledo.

Inge has struggled all season, batting .211/.279/.286 with one home run and 12 RBIs while also showing lesser range on defense at third base. Did the mono contribute to his lackluster performance? We won’t quite know until seeing how Inge plays after his DL stint, but that certainly couldn’t have helped.

The Tigers didn’t really miss much at third base with Inge out, as Don Kelly filled in capably at the plate and on the field. (And really, Kelly had nowhere to go but up, given how little Inge has produced this season.) Worth and Alex Avila also saw time at the hot corner, but having Inge back will likely provide some stability back to the lineup. At least in terms of everyone knowing where he’s going to play each night.

Worth batted .310/.355/.379 in 29 at-bats for the Tigers. But his role was strictly that of a utility infielder who could help out at second and third base with his superior glove. That’s not to say he couldn’t return later this season, especially if Ryan Raburn continues to struggle at second. (Perhaps that could apply to Inge, as well.)

Tigers Recall Ryan Perry From Toledo, Send Adam Wilk Down

Last week, Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland admitted to the press that his bullpen had too many left-handed relievers. With the Tigers set to return home after a six-game road trip out west, that surplus will be reduced by at least one.

After Detroit’s 7-5 win over the Dodgers, the team announced that right-hander Ryan Perry would be recalled from Triple-A Toledo in time for Friday’s series opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks, MLB.com's Jason Beck reports. To make room on the active roster, lefty Adam Wilk — who’s only pitched three times in the past two weeks — is headed back to join the Mud Hens.

(Honestly, I thought Daniel Schlereth looked like an ideal candidate to be demoted after issuing five walks in his last two appearances, covering 2 2/3 innings. But he still has strikeout stuff, and the middle relief needs someone besides Al Alburquerque to bring the heat. Plus, the team has already used a minor league option on Wilk.)

Perry has pitched well since getting sent down almost a month ago. In eight appearances (covering 13 2/3 innings), he’s allowed just two runs and six hits with 14 strikeouts and three walks.

If Perry has straightened himself out and can pitch effectively, he and Alburquerque could form a pretty lethal tandem in the sixth and seventh innings (mixed in with Schlereth, David Purcey and Charlie Furbush).

Tigers Option Andy Oliver To Toledo

Following Sunday's victory over the Chicago White Sox, the Detroit Tigers sent pitcher Andy Oliver down to Toledo. Oliver made two starts for the Tigers in place of Phil Coke, who is expected to start for Detroit on Wednesday against the Texas Rangers.

The reason Oliver was sent down on Sunday instead of when Coke returns is because pitcher David Purcey is returning from the paternity list. Purcey was placed on it Saturday in order to with his wife as she gave birth to twins (a boy and a girl). His home is in Dallas, so he will be able to join the Tigers on Monday in Arlington as they begin their series against the Rangers.

Adam Wilk was recalled from Toledo when Purcey was placed on the paternity list. For the time being, Wilk will stay with the Tigers, although he could be sent down when Coke is activated from the disabled list.

Detroit will also need a roster spot when Magglio Ordonez is activated from the DL. He is going to play with Toledo again on Monday, but the expectation is for him to be back with the Tigers at some point this week.

Tigers Place Brandon Inge On Disabled List, Call Up Omir Santos

Detroit Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge is headed to the 15-day disabled list. He isn't going to be out with an injury, but rather he will miss time due to mononucleosis.

To fill his spot on the roster for the time being, the Tigers have recalled catcher Omir Santos from Toledo. Santos spent time on the roster earlier in the season when Victor Martinez was out with an injury, and now he is back on the roster for at least the weekend.

With Magglio Ordonez making a rehab appearance with the Mud Hens on Friday and the possibility of him rejoining the Tigers next week being talked about, Santos very well could be with Detroit for only a few days. Ordonez would likely take Santos' roster spot once he comes off the disabled list, so it's likely that Santos was called up just to fill a roster spot and nothing more.

Inge's replacement at third base will likely be a combination of Don Kelly and Danny Worth. Perhaps if Worth moves to third, Ryan Raburn will actually play his so-called every day position more often.

Tigers Send Adam Wilk Back To Minors To Make Room For David Purcey

We knew that a bullpen body would be hitching a ride back to Toledo to make room for recently acquired David Purcey, since the recalling of Danny Worth supplemented the Scott Sizemore deal, but it was unknown exactly who it would be. The obvious guesses were LHP Andy Wilk and, mine personally, RHP Enrique Gonzalez. Due to the sudden plethora of lefties in the Tigers' pen, though, Wilk made the most sense. Sure enough, he was the odd man out despite being a better pitcher [via Official Tigers Twitter]:

Tigers have optioned LHP Adam Wilk to Toledo to create room on 25-man roster for LHP David Purcey. #tigers

Wilk was recalled earlier this week when Phil Coke was placed on the 15-day DL with an ankle injury. He made his debut on Thursday, tossing 3.2 earned run-less innings while striking out four (and walking one). Enrique Gonzalez lucked out here, as he's been atrocious in his six games with Detroit this year and a one month hiatus in Toledo seemingly did nothing to help him get better. I'd be surprised if he lasted much longer and we don't see Wilk soon get another chance to have to pitch himself out of the bigs before getting demoted again.

Tigers Roster Moves: Ryan Perry To Toledo, Andy Oliver Called Up

The Detroit Tigers announced earlier this week that Andy Oliver would start Saturday’s game against the Boston Red Sox. But after calling up Adam Wilk to fill in for Phil Coke going on the disabled list, the question became who would go to make room for Oliver?

Wilk seemed like the natural choice, as Charlie Furbush is already admirably filling the long relief role in the bullpen. (He pitched five scoreless innings on Friday, giving him 8 2/3 – with nine strikeouts – in his first two appearances with the Tigers.) But maybe Wilk impressed the Tigers with the 3 2/3 innings he pitched in Thursday’s 14-1 blowout.

Someone who wasn’t impressive in Thursday’s game was Ryan Perry, who gave up four runs on four hits in just 1 1/3 innings. That gave him seven runs allowed in his last two outings, which was clearly enough for the Tigers. He was sent to Triple-A Toledo after Friday’s game to clear a spot for Oliver.

From MLive.com:

“Right now we’re just beating ourselves up. We are and so is Ryan, and he knows that,” Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. “He just needs to get away from this atmosphere, hopefully temporarily, and get it going again, get his stuff straightened out in a little more relaxed atmosphere.”

Maybe Perry can settle on a haircut while pitching for the Mud Hens, as well. Neither the long-haired look nor the shaved head have worked for him this season. Perry has compiled a 12.19 ERA with 17 hits, nine walks and 10 strikeouts in 10 1/3 innings. He also struggled with an eye infection that put him on the 15-day disabled list.

Tigers Roster Moves: Brayan Villarreal Sent To Toledo, Carlos Guillen Moved To 60-Day DL

The Detroit Tigers’ quest to find some reliable bullpen help continues. After Sunday’s 2-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, the team sent reliever Brayan Villarreal down to Triple-A Toledo. In his place, Detroit recalled Enrique Gonzalez, who had a stint with the Tigers earlier this season.

Villarreal began the season looking like a potentially dependable setup man for the Tigers, compensating for the loss of Joel Zumaya and poor performance of Ryan Perry. Despite strikeout stuff, he’d given up six runs and eight hits in his last five outings (covering five innings). Being used only four times in the month of May was an indication of how he was regarded by Jim Leyland recently.

Calling up Gonzalez is a somewhat curious move, considering he was outrighted to Toledo when Perry was activated from the disabled list. At the time, he had an 11.81 ERA in just 5 1/3 innings of work.

Gonzalez had pitched adequately in Toledo, compiling six saves with 15 strikeouts in 10 1/3 innings. But 11 hits allowed indicate that he’s not exactly pitching lights-out relief, either.

The other roster news announced by the Tigers is that Carlos Guillen has been transferred to the 60-day disabled list. In the short term, this makes room for Gonzalez to be added to the team’s 40-man roster. But in the long term, it means that Guillen is unlikely to play for the Tigers this season and his career with Detroit could be over.

Guillen’s return to full health never seemed like a real possibility, though the Tigers held out hope that he could recover and become the team’s starting second baseman. The most optimistic projections have Guillen being able to complete his rehab in five to six weeks. But recovery from the microfracture surgery that Guillen underwent in September typically requires a long process.

Look at Grady Sizemore, who was out almost a full year after having the procedure done. He returned to the lineup in mid-April, but is once again out as he continues to struggle with his right knee injury.

So for anyone hoping that Guillen would provide the hitting help that the Tigers need right now, it’s probably best to look elsewhere for reinforcements.

Tigers Call Up Charlie Furbush From Triple-A Toledo, Place Brad Thomas On DL

Left-hander Brad Thomas hasn’t pitched for the Detroit Tigers since May 10. That could’ve been due to poor performance, as Thomas compiled a 9.00 ERA in 12 appearances this season. But it turns out he may not have been available because of injury.

Thomas was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Saturday with left elbow inflammation. To take his place on the roster, the Tigers recalled left-hander Charlie Furbush from Triple-A Toledo.

Furbush, 25, has pitched well with the Mud Hens this season, compiling a 4-3 record and 2.91 ERA in eight starts, with 55 strikeouts in 46 1/3 innings.

Though he worked as a starter in Toledo, the presumption is that he’ll pitch out of the bullpen with the Tigers. That’s assuming Phil Coke stays in the starting rotation, which it appears that he will, as he’s following his normal work schedule toward a Monday start.

Bless You Boys reported earlier in the week that Furbush and Andy Oliver would be called up from Toledo, but an exact timetable for the moves was not known. It’s possible that the Tigers decided to wait on calling up Oliver after Coke pitched so well in his last start, with seven shutout innings against the Red Sox on Wednesday. Starting Furbush would be another option, of course.

Thomas was asked to pitch in Friday night’s loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates, but according to Jason Beck, his elbow locked up on him while warming up. That certainly made the decision-making process easier for the Tigers, though one has to wonder how long Thomas was going to have a spot on the roster because of how he’d been pitching.

Tigers Option Omir Santos To Toledo, Making Room For Victor Martinez

As expected, the Detroit Tigers announced after Tuesday’s win over the New York Yankees that Victor Martinez would be activated from the disabled list for Wednesday’s game.

The only question was what the corresponding roster move might be. Would the Tigers keep catcher Omir Santos on the roster, allowing Jim Leyland a bit more late-game roster flexibility? (For instance, pinch-running for Alex Avila without having to lose the DH if Martinez had to move to catcher.) Might Magglio Ordonez go to the DL? Could something else be in play?

As it turns out, the Tigers kept it simple. Santos was optioned to Triple-A Toledo after Tuesday’s game to clear a spot for Martinez.

Santos appeared in only two games (batting 1-for-5) for Detroit since being called up two weeks ago, both of those coming during the Tigers’ series in Seattle when Martinez was originally hurt and Alex Avila needed a rest.

Martinez returns to the Tigers after finishing a two-game rehab assignment with the Mud Hens. Before suffering the groin injury that landed him on the DL, he was batting .250/.292/.417 with two home runs and nine RBIs. The Tigers’ lineup has struggled to score runs without Martinez and desperately need him to bat behind Miguel Cabrera in the batting order.

Tigers Roster Moves: Sizemore Called Up, Rhymes Sent Down

With the Detroit Tigers’ lineup struggling to score runs, it was only a matter of time before some changes were made. The first of what could be a handful of moves took place after Detroit’s 5-3 loss to the Yankees on Monday night.

As first reported by Bless You Boys, second baseman Scott Sizemore has been called up from Triple-A Toledo. To make room for him on the active roster, Will Rhymes is headed to the Mud Hens.

Rhymes won the second base job in spring training, but couldn’t find his batting stroke once the regular season began. He was hitting .221/.321/.235 with two RBIs from the No. 2 spot in the order, one of many reasons the Tigers had difficulty scoring runs.

Sizemore, meanwhile, was hitting .408/.495/.605 in Toledo, leading the International League in batting average by 24 points. That certainly warranted a promotion, in addition to the Tigers’ need for more offense. But there’s never been a question as to whether Sizemore could hit in the minors. For whatever reason, that talent hasn’t translated to major league production. Sizemore now gets another chance to prove he belongs in the big leagues.

Manager Jim Leyland said that Sizemore will be installed as the No. 2 hitter in the lineup, at least for now. Given the lack of production at the top of the order (and throughout the lineup), he’ll probably get plenty of opportunities to succeed.

This may not be the only move the Tigers make within the next day or two. Victor Martinez is set to return from the disabled list on Wednesday, which could mean Omir Santos gets sent back to Toledo. But Magglio Ordonez continues to struggle with a foot injury that’s contributed greatly to a .151/.215/.164 average and one RBI thus far. That could compel the Tigers to keep Santos to play catcher and make Martinez a full-time DH.

Or the Tigers could opt to call up another outfielder, if they put Ordonez on the DL. Andy Dirks made an excellent impression during the spring and is off to an excellent start in Triple-A. He’s batting .340/.398/.608 with six homers, 17 RBIs, 10 stolen bases and 10 walks in 109 plate appearances. Dirks has also played half of his games in center field, which might make him a candidate to replace Austin Jackson, if the Tigers decide to demote him.

Tigers Roster Moves: Catcher Omir Santos Called Up From Toledo

Adding a catcher looked like a necessity for the Detroit Tigers after Victor Martinez hobbled around the bases with an injured groin Monday night. Martinez was taken out of Monday’s game in the second inning and looked like a candidate for the disabled list.

The Tigers will wait at least one more day to make a decision on Martinez’s status. But in the meantime, they can’t play with Alex Avila as the only catcher on the roster. (Don Kelly is the team’s emergency catcher, but Leyland is only going to break the glass on that if absolutely needed.) So Detroit purchased the contract of Omir Santos from Triple-A Toledo for Tuesday’s game.

Santos signed a minor-league deal with the Tigers last December as organizational catching insurance. In four games with the Mud Hens this season, he compiled a .429/.438/.429 average.

Santos has been a minor leaguer through most of his 11 seasons in professional baseball. He’s had two major league stints, the longest of which was 96 games with the New York Mets in 2009. In 306 plate appearances, he batted .260/.396/.391 with seven home runs and 40 RBIs.

Even if Martinez doesn’t end up on the DL, the Tigers will have to make a corresponding roster move to clear a spot for Santos. That will be announced before Tuesday’s game. The Tigers have a day game versus the Mariners on Wednesday, then an off-day for travel, so it’s possible they’ll try to give Martinez a few days to rest that groin.

Manager Jim Leyland had already said Martinez wouldn’t play at catcher during the Seattle series after sitting him down for Sunday’s game at Oakland to rest a strained groin. Under normal circumstances, Martinez would’ve gotten the start on Wednesday with the Mariners pitching left-hander Erik Bedard.

Adding Santos to the 40-man roster became possible when Joel Zumaya was moved to the 60-day disabled list on Monday.

Tigers Roster Moves: Alburquerque Called Up, Weinhardt Sent Down

One of the Detroit Tigers’ biggest concerns early in the season has been relief pitching in the seventh inning. The Tigers have had difficulty finding a reliever who can perform consistently between the starting pitcher and the late-inning combination of Joaquin Benoit and Jose Valverde.

With Ryan Perry set to begin a rehab assignment and Joel Zumaya getting further tests on his right elbow, Detroit is still in need of a seventh-inning set-up man. Brayan Villareal looks capable of filling the role with an impressive fastball-slider repertoire (along with a killer pick-off move), but his inexperience gives the Tigers some uncertainty.

Robbie Weinhardt was called up from Triple-A Toledo to take over for Perry when he went on the DL, but hasn’t been able to get hitters out and doesn’t have the pure strikeout stuff that the Tigers seem to prefer from their relief corps.

That seems to be the thinking behind the roster move Detroit made after Wednesday’s 5-4 win over the Rangers, as Weinhardt was optioned to Toledo and Al Alburquerque was called up.

Here’s more on Alburquerque from MLB.com’s Jason Beck:

Alburquerque’s power arsenal in winter ball sold the Tigers on signing him to a Major League contract over the offseason rather than a spring invite. While those pitches impressed team officials in Spring Training, his command did not. He struck out 11 over 6 2/3 spring innings, but he also walked five, including a pair of two-walk performances in the first week of games. He spotted his curveball, but couldn’t command his fastball, a basic no-no.

I’m glad Beck wrote that background, because all I could’ve offered was that I’m less than thrilled that I might have to type Alburquerque’s last name on a regular basis if he sticks with the team.

On a more serious note, I did see Alburquerque’s first two appearances this spring and he was being clocked at 94 m.p.h. So he definitely appears to be the hard-thrower the Tigers want out of the bullpen.

But don’t take it from me; look at the man’s numbers. In three appearances for the Mud Hens this year, Alburquerque threw eight strikeouts in four innings. He also allowed only one walk, which might indicate that he’s controlling his stuff better than he was during the spring.

MLB Roster Cuts: Detroit Tigers Establish 25-Man Roster

Opening day for the Detroit Tigers is next Thursday. As they continue to get ready to start the season at the New York Yankees, the Tigers reassigned two players and optioned another to Toledo on Saturday morning to narrow their roster down to 25 players.

Outfielder Andy Dirks and pitcher Adam Wilk were the two players reassigned to the Tigers' minor league camp. Infielder Danny Worth was the player optioned to Triple-A Toledo. This means that guys like Brayan Villarreal and Brennan Boesch and Casper Wells have made the opening day roster, which is as follows (via Bless You Boys):

Starting Pitchers

Justin Verlander
Max Scherzer
Rick Porcello
Brad Penny
Phil Coke

Relief Pitchers

Enrique Gonzalez
Brayan Villarreal
Brad Thomas
Daniel Schlereth
Ryan Perry
Joaquin Benoit
Jose Valverde

Catchers

Alex Avila
Victor Martinez

Infielders

Miguel Cabrera
Will Rhymes
Jhonny Peralta
Brandon Inge
Ramon Santiago

Outfielders

Magglio Ordonez
Austin Jackson
Ryan Raburn
Don Kelly
Casper Wells
Brennan Boesch

This roster is always subject to change in the next few days if the Tigers decide to make a move, but Jason Beck reports that is unlikely. As a result, it appears that these 25 players will be headed to New York to get the 2011 season started.

MLB Roster Cuts: Tigers Assign Five, Including Scott Sizemore And Robbie Weinhardt, To Minors

Opening Day at Yankee Stadium is just over a week away for the Detroit Tigers, and they need to get their roster down to the 25-man limit. With the players assigned to the minors Tuesday morning, that roster looks very close to taking shape.

Reliever Robbie Weinhardt, second baseman Scott Sizemore and outfielder Clete Thomas were optioned to Triple-A Toledo, according to an official announcement from the team. Additionally, reliever Fu-Te Ni and catcher Max St. Pierre were assigned to minor league camp.

Sizemore looked to be the current odd man out of the competition for the second base job. As Bless You Boys pointed out, he hadn’t started the last four games for the Tigers, which seemed to be a bad indication for his chances. Couple that with the emergence of Danny Worth, and Sizemore was looking like a spare part.

There is still a decision to be made at that position, however, with Worth and Will Rhymes still in camp. Ramon Santiago is still in the mix, as well, but is likely to fill his usual utility infielder role.

Weinhardt looked to be a favorite to make the team as a middle reliever, especially when Joel Zumaya’s sore elbow hurt his Opening Day status. So his demotion might be the most surprising of the five.

Perhaps this means the Tigers have decided to carry a third left-handed reliever, to go with Daniel Schlereth and Brad Thomas, both of whom appear likely to make the team. Or maybe the team also wants someone who can fill more of a long-relief role. Both of those criteria would seem to favor Adam Wilk, who’s been impressive this spring with one run allowed in 11 2/3 innings. Enrique Gonzalez and Brayan Villareal are still alive for that long-relief job, too.

Clete Thomas had played well this spring, batting .286/.311/.357. In a different year, he would probably make the team. But the competition among reserve outfielders has been ferocious, and Brennan Boesch and Andy Dirks have outplayed Thomas. Don Kelly takes one of the reserve spots, which may only leave one opening. Casper Wells looks like a favorite to make the team, based on his ability to play all three outfield positions and his right-handed bat.

But with Boesch and Dirks still around, maybe the Tigers will decide to keep six outfielders. That means the team would carry five infielders, which might not bode well for Will Rhymes.

Of course, the team could make a trade and deal away a surplus outfielder or infielder. That’s certainly a possibility over the final nine days of spring training. Santiago has also been mentioned in trade rumors, but the Phillies signing Luis Castillo probably shrunk the potential trade market.

Late last week, the Tigers announced four other cuts. Pitchers Charlie Furbush and Alberto Alburquerque, shortstop Argenis Diaz and first baseman Scott Thorman were assigned to minor league camp. Three more players must be trimmed from the roster by the March 31 opener.

MLB Roster Cuts: Tigers Assign Jacob Turner, 17 Others To Minors

With just over two weeks before the Tigers open the 2011 season at Yankee Stadium, the roster needs to be trimmed to 25 players. Detroit got that process under way on Tuesday, announcing the first round of minor league assignments. (I agree with Kurt at Bless You Boys; calling them “cuts” seems a bit deceiving.)

Eighteen players were given minor league assignments, the most notable of them being pitcher Jacob Turner. Turner has been impressive this spring, compiling a 1.50 ERA and four strikeouts in six innings. But with the Tigers’ starting rotation already stocked, he was inevitably going to begin the season in the minors. Turner was assigned to Double-A Erie.

Assigned to Triple-A Toledo were pitchers Duane Below, Andrew Oliver, Jose Ortega and Lester Oliveros. Infielders Ryan Strieby, Cale Iorg and Audy Ciriaco are also headed to the Mud Hens.

Going to minor league camp are pitchers John Bale and Chris Oxspring; catchers Rob Brantly, Bryan Holaday, John Murrian and Omir Santos; infielder Brandon Douglas; and outfielders Avisail Garcia and Ben Guez.

Bale is a mild surprise, as he was in the mix for the bullpen’s left-handed specialist role. But with the way Brad Thomas and Fu-Te Ni have pitched this spring, along with Daniel Schlereth virtually assured of a job, the Tigers had left-handers pretty well covered.

That leaves seven non-roster invitees in major league camp. Those players are outfielder Andy Dirks, infielder Argenis Diaz, and pitchers Enrique Gonzalez, Charlie Furbush, Brayan Villareal, Adam Wilk and Brendan Wise.

Twenty-two players still need to be sent out before March 31.

MLB Roster Cuts: Don Kelly Earns Spot on Detroit Tigers

Don Kelly probably figured he would have a long Spring Training competing for a spot, but he got some refreshing news the other day when Jim Leyland guaranteed him a spot on the squad when the team heads north in a few weeks: 

"Kelly’s a part of it," Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland said Tuesday. "He’s going to be on this team."

If you remember, Kelly edged out Clete Thomas for the final roster spot last spring and, following a season in which he hit a paltry .246/.272/.646 (although he had nine dingers in 251 plate appearances), it may have looked to some like it might be a similar situation this year.

Obviously, Leyland isn't bringing Kelly aboard for his bat, though (or because he's also a Pittsburgh native). Kelly, 31, is Detroit's most versatile player, capable of playing up to six positions fairly well. Kelly will be used mostly as a defensive replacement in the outfield, but could see time at third or first, too, if need be. The fact that he's hitting .316/.364/.732 thus far this spring is just a nice perk to what he already brings to the table.