Tigers lefty Dontrelle Willis didn’t even make it out of the first inning last night, leaving the game with a hyperextended right knee. The bullpen kept the game close, and the vaunted yet under-performing Tigers offense carried the team to victory. However, Willis’s knee adds greater concern to an already shaky rotation. Only Jeremy Bonderman has gone over 6.0 IP in a single start this year. Do these woes, combined with the Willis injury, mean that recently-DFA’d Kyle Snyder could be wearing orange soon?
Yesterday, Tim told us that the Tigers were among two other teams interested in the 30-year-old righty. The Phillies and the Rays are the others. Whether that would be for the rotation or the bullpen we don’t know. The Tigers could certainly use him as a swingman of sorts, as their bullpen also poses a problem.
I wasn’t able to find any word on how long this injury will keep Willis off the mound. If it’s just one or even two starts, the Tigers might not be desperate to make a move. Then again, the Tigers could stand to add some depth to the rotation and the bullpen in any case. Not sure if they are so keen on Snyder as an answer, though.
Posted by Joe Pawlikowski. Please, email me rumors.
