Daniel Norris’ injury and placement on the disabled list has allowed the final spot in the Detroit Tigers’ rotation to become available.
Justin Verlander, Jordan Zimmermann, Anibal Sanchez, and Mike Pelfrey are four of the five starting pitchers in this year’s starting rotation. The fifth? Good question.
As for now, just a little over one week until the regular season opener, the final spot in the Detroit Tigers rotation is yet to be determined.
It was presumed to be Daniel Norris, the 22-year old southpaw they acquired at the trade deadline from the Toronto Blue Jays last year. In 13 starts with the Tigers and Jays in 2015, Norris’ 3.75 ERA gave the Tigers the impression that he would enter his first full season in the majors as a starter in the big league rotation.
But when Norris went down with a back injury on March 22 against Toronto, the fifth and final spot in the rotation became available.
Now manager Brad Aumus is left with a decision: who will fill in for the injured Norris?
Shane Greene, Matt Boyd, and Buck Farmer are all viable candidates to be the short-term fifth starter until Norris regains his health.
Greene, who started last year in the Tigers rotation, is seeming to bounce back from a rocky first year in Detroit. Greene spent his offseason recovering from surgery that would fix psuedoaneurysm symptoms in his throwing shoulder. Greene owns a 2.63 ERA over 13.2 innings this spring, and is second in the team in strikeouts (16). Until Norris returns, Greene is expected to be the Tigers’ final starter come April 5.
Matt Boyd, who was shipped to Detroit alongside Norris last July, spent the remainder of his 2015 season at the big league level. He was shaky and often inconsisent with the Blue Jays and the Tigers last season, winning just one game in 12 starts. Boyd came to Lakeland with the addition of an improved slider to supplement his low-90’s fastball. He’s logged 17 innings in five games this spring, and is making his case to stick around.
One of the last candidates contending for the last spot in the rotation is Buck Farmer, a familiar face for Tiger fans. Farmer was winless in 2015 with an 0-4 record, but he has the most experience out of the other’s vying for the spot. Although his career ERA is an unimpressive 8.15, he is holding his opponents to a .235 batting average this spring.
Next: Detroit Tigers All-Time 25-Man Roster
It’s not known who will win the fifth starter spot for the Detroit Tigers, but the clock is certainly ticking with time running short.