The Tigers restructured their rotation recently, with the club’s current starting five being left-handers Eduardo Rodriguez, Tarik Skubal and Joey Wentz alongside right-handers Matt Manning and Reese Olson. That leaves right-hander Alex Faedo as the odd man out, and as manager AJ Hinch confirmed to reporters (including Evan Woodbery of MLive) recently that Faedo would be moving to the bullpen. Faedo received his first relief assignment last night, striking out one on 13 pitches in a single inning of work.
While Faedo was used as a single-inning reliever last night, Hinch indicated that his longer-term role for the Tigers going forward will be as a multi-inning reliever. Woodbery relays that “scheduled” relief appearances of two or three innings are one possibility for Faedo, as well as piggyback starts alongside Wentz. That duo would be a somewhat surprising combination, considering Faedo’s reverse splits this year; left-handed batters have slashed just .143/.209/.333 in 115 plate appearances against him, while righties have hit a far more impressive .266/.322/.505 in 118 trips to the plate.
Overall this season, Faedo has posted a 4.89 ERA and 5.03 FIP in 57 innings of work in the majors. While he showed promise in his final five starts with the big league club, posting a 2.73 ERA over that timeframe, his control left plenty to be desired over those appearances, with a 12% walk rate against a strikeout rate of just 17.5%. Despite those struggles, Hinch suggested that it was possible Faedo could return to the rotation for a start or two at some point before the end of the season.
More from the AL Central…
- White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr. was scratched from yesterday’s lineup against Detroit due to cramping in his right quad. That same issue led Chicago to hold Robert out of the lineup today as well, with MLB.com indicating that Robert could return to game action as soon as tomorrow. That being said, the club plans to exercise caution regarding the health of their superstar outfielder. In a dismal season on the south side of Chicago, Robert has been a major bright spot, slashing .272/.324/.560 with 35 home runs and 17 stolen bases alongside elite defense in center field. Oscar Colas has taken over for Robert in center field while he’s been out of the lineup.
- The Twins are expected to recall right-hander Louie Varland tomorrow, according to the Star Tribune’s Phil Miller. Miller adds that Varland is expecting to join Minnesota as a member of the bullpen, a role which is fairly unfamiliar for the 25-year-old hurler. Out of 78 professional games Varland has played since being drafted in 2019, he has started all but six of them, including all 15 of his appearances in the majors, where he sports a career 4.83 ERA and 5.12 FIP after allowing 17 runs in 15 innings across his three most recent big league starts back in June. Varland is expected to take the roster spot of right-hander Cole Sands, who Miller indicates was optioned after tonight’s game against the Rangers.
- Guardians ace Shane Bieber is making progress in his rehab from right elbow inflammation, as MLB.com relays that the right-hander has advanced to throwing all of his pitches during bullpen sessions. As Terry Francona told reporters, if Bieber’s next bullpen goes well, he’ll progress to facing live hitters. The next logical progression after that would be a rehab assignment as Bieber builds back up to a starter’s workload. Bieber will first be eligible to be activated from the 60-day injured list on September 10, but it seems all but assured that Bieber will need longer than the minimum 60 days before returning at this point. That said, the 28-year-old seems to be on pace to return before the end of the season barring any setbacks. Prior to his injury, 2023 was shaping up to be a down season for Bieber, who posted a 3.77 ERA and 4.11 FIP across 19 starts.
So you’re saying there’s a chance.
There’s always a chance until there is no chance. On the same note, 60% of the time it works everytime.
And the other half it doesn’t!
I see what you did there, @For the Love of the Game. Now I’m waiting for the “math geniuses” to point out the flaw in irony.
Hah. That was pretty good. Thanks for the smile ….
What a strange draft that 2017 was…
You can come up with statistics to prove anything, 40% of all people know that
You’re wrong. 90% of all people know that. And 50% of the 90% have known that for at least 10 years!
Looks like Getz is going to do some Dumpster Diving if he has to replace Roberts.
I don’t understand how a player can let cramping in his leg keep him out of the lineup. When I have a cramp in my calf, I just massage it out and I’m good to go. So many players are kept out of the lineup because of the most minor injuries. If they love the game, if they weren’t sitting on their wallets instead of playing through minor pain, they’d be out there earning their money. We pay our money to see them play, not wave to them on the bench.
@avenger65 – It’s because it’ll re-cramp from repeating the action which caused it to cramp, and if they don’t get to it quick enough, it’ll be a pulled muscle and they’ll suddenly be on the IL. Better to skip a day and not risk a pulled muscle and IL trip.
The Twins talked about plans for the playoff rotation which included moving a couple starters (Maeda, Varland, Ober) to the bullpen. Depending on how Rocco Baldelli actually deploys these “relief” pitchers, it could work well or could end in disaster.
I’d be more curious as to Maeda’s thoughts on the subject. At least in the regular season, he’s about to start hitting big bonuses for every 10 innings pitched.
The cramp will lead to a strain if it’s not rested. He has to sprint at a moment’s notice, out of the box, in the outfield, etc. Would you rather he be out for two games, or at least two weeks, depending on the grade of the strain?
Well said, my frned. Well said, indeed Peace out, brother.
Neither Wentz nor Faedo have been great for the Tigers this year, but Faedo has definitely been better. I guess they are giving Wentz one last chance this season to prove his worth as a starter. If he continues to pitch like he has he may end up in the pen or cut loose. Mize is back next year and at least one or two of Flores, Madden and Montero should get a callup for a test drive. Pressures on Joey!
Faedo is a CWS National Champion, he will figure it out. Next year is his true evaluation year.
Faedo’s future is in the bullpen. He is mostly a fastball-slider guy with an occasional change up. In five years of pro ball he has failed to diversify into the full starters repertoire of pitches. I think he’ll be great in the pen.
Wentz has the pitches and the velo, but he misses his spots too often. Either he fixes that or he eventually runs out of chances.
Faedo can be a good reliever…He seems to do well the first time through a lineup and then get blasted due to the previously mentioned lack of pitch diversification. However his slider is pretty good and he seems like he has that reliever mentality.
Faedo will be great in the pen as a long reliever, or the occasional opener if needed. They need to find a couple starters though for 2024. ERod most likely walks away.
I was hoping they’d get a couple top starters like Snell and Giolito, but there is no way those guys are coming to this clown show. Another option would be a couple Japanese pitchers… Yamamoto is a right handed Ohtani type starter. He doesn’t hit, but has been excellent pitching the past 5 years. Yuki Matsui is a lefty starter that has been very good… probably a number 5 in a rotation, but still good. Tigers won’t do that either… they don’t attract Japanese stars. They will do what Harris is best at, scraping the bottom of the bucket for veterans desperate for a paycheck. Expect guys like Brad Keller… or Luke Weaver. Zack Davies would be another Harris type pitcher.
Skubal, Manning and Mize would make an excellent bottom of a rotation. Find a number 1 and a number 2 to lead them and you’d have an excellent rotation. Skubal, Manning and Mize are young and have had some injury issues… let them mature and develop with a couple solid veterans and they will be the next, Zito, Mulder, Hudson or even (Maddux) Smoltz, Glavin, Avery. Hey, those each had 2 lefties… Tigers need another lefty… Joey Wentz?????
Brant Hurter… he’s a lefty
Skubal, Mize, Manning and Olson are a pretty decent 4/5 of a rotation. It would be nice if they bring in a veteran like you say to complement them, at least until some of the kids in the minors break through (Flores, Madden, Montero, Hurter).
They have more heavy lifting on the offense side than the pitching side and at least need a young 2B or 3B who can hit. If their other core players (Carpenter, Tork, Greene) continue to develop and they can add some more production from the minors (Keith, Malloy and maybe even someone like Leonard) then it may be a decent year. It’s not like there’s a juggernaut in the AL Central right now. They have as good a chance as any team in the Division next year.
I like Leonard so far…has hit well and has some power…
Harris, or whoever he hires as GM needs to make a couple smart moves early in the offseason in order to get players to notice they are trying.
I would start off with trying to get Gleyber Torres from the Yankees. He’s a free agent after 2024, so he might be available. He’s still young and has some power. Great K rate and walk rate. He could be a nice addition to the middle of the lineup. Yankees might be willing to deal him for a lefty OF bat like Baddoo… it passes the trade simulator as a Tiger major overpay. Yankees are in a youth movement and it would save them some money to spend on fixing their rotation.
Then I would look for another bat… maybe the Mets Alonso as DH/1B? or Santander for RF/DH… or Lane Thomas of the Nationals.
With those additions, maybe they could attract a couple starting pitchers like Blake Snell and Giolito. Also, try and sign Caratini as backup catcher. He has excellent exit velocities and solid K and BB rates.
Promote Keith to be 3B.
LF Greene
2B Torres
CF Meadows
DH Alonso
RF Carpenter
1B Tork
3B Keith/Vierling
SS Baez
C Rogers/Caratini
Bench McKinstry, Malloy, (Caratini, Vierling)
Snell, Giolito, Skubal, Manning, Mize
Faedo is a great candidate for those “relief pitcher” games ….
So, Alex Avila, vindicated?
Some of those guys might end up being pretty good…..at least some people seem to think so…..
Harris is still feeling around for the light switch and some Tiger fans are giving him credit for guys like Carpenter and Greene.
if you want my opinion, teams should keep 6 man rotations in September!
Manning, Skubal, Olson, Faedo/Wentz is not a bad 4. I will be very surprised if Faedo doesn’t work all off season on a third pitch, successfully, under the watchful eyes of Fetters & Co. Wouldn’t it be nice surprise if Eduardo didn’t opt out, and Mize came back healthy. Put Keith at 3B, and Malloy at DH. Sign Lourdes Gurriel Jr to add a RH outfielder who can keep the lineup moving, and Merrifield for 2B and leadoff. Add another Lorenzen like starter, or a lefty for the pen. Its doable and won’t break the budget.
Don’t forget we’ll be adding Mize and possibly Turnbull to the mix, hopefully….
Faedo’s going to be here a long time, so his role will be fluid. The big story after Miguel’s chase of Ripken is of course Meadows. What a breath of fresh air. The league is feeling him out, and he’s trying to adjust to each new wrinkle they try. His defense and speed are off the Tiger charts history wise. What a quality player they’ve got with Meadows. Finally a legitimate center fielder. Real speed, and power with size. Young Tiger fans should be very excited about Meadows.
What numbers Miguel could have put up if the Tigers did not extend Victor after 2014 ? He had to play first base even with injuries. I sure hope he passes Ripken on the hits. He’s been a real good Tiger, and it’s too bad they missed winning it all while he was here.
What will Faedo’s longer-term role be going backward though?
Chris THE SKUNK
Faedo has to go to the pen, could be a quality bullpen piece…