Our worst fears have been confirmed: Detroit Tigers righthander Doug Fister will be placed on the 15-day disabled list on Sunday with a left costochondral (rib) strain. MLB.com's Jason Beck broke the seemingly inevitable news, in addition to the subsequent call-up of Brayan Villarreal to assume Fister's roster spot.
Fister to 15-day DL effective Sunday, with a left costochondral strain. Brayan Villarreal to be recalled from Toledo. #Tigers
— Jason Beck (@beckjason) April 7, 2012
Fister left today's start against the Boston Red Sox in the fourth inning holding his side in clear pain, so a DL stint is not necessarily a shock in this case. Even though Detroit went on to demolish the visiting Red Sox 10-0, the prospect of losing such an important piece of the starting rotation, for any length of time, is a frustrating concept for the Tigers brass.
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