Tigers Send Jordan Zimmermann Back To DL

To cap off an injury-plagued Saturday, the Tigers have placed right-hander Jordan Zimmemann on the disabled list with an aggravation of his neck strain and recalled left-hander Kyle Ryan from Triple-A Toledo, tweets Jason Beck of MLB.com (John Wagner of the Toledo Blade first reported Zimmermann would head to the DL). The loss of Zimmermann is the second notable one of the day for Detroit, whose starting third baseman, Nick Castellanos, suffered a fractured left hand in the team’s 6-5 win over the Mets.

Zimmermann had just returned from the DL to make a start Thursday after that neck strain kept him out for all of July. The big-money offseason investment lasted a mere 1 2/3 innings in that start, a 6-3 loss to the White Sox, and allowed six earned runs on six hits and two walks. Zimmermann now has a 7.30 ERA across his past 49 1/3 innings and a 4.44 mark through 97 1/3 frames this year, and ERA indicators like FIP (3.91), xFIP (4.66) and SIERA (4.66) haven’t been enamored of his performance.

The Tigers could fill Zimmermann’s void in the rotation with lefty Daniel Norris, who Beck notes will rejoin the club Tuesday. Norris, who sat out most of July because of a right oblique strain, has thrown 13 1/3 innings and made three starts with the Tigers this year and given up 17 hits and seven earned runs. On the plus side, Norris has struck out 16 against just three walks. In 73 1/3 frames with Toledo this season, the 23-year-old has compiled a lofty ERA (4.54), though he has posted quality strikeout and walk rates (9.45 and 3.44 per nine, respectively) and a 2.55 FIP.

If playoff-contending Detroit does bring up Norris to work out of its rotation, he’ll join Justin Verlander, Michael Fulmer, Matt Boyd and Anibal Sanchez in its quintet of starters. Verlander and Fulmer have been excellent this year, while Boyd has fared well over the past month and Sanchez’s performance has improved of late.