Matt Manning

Tigers righty Matt Manning suffered a fractured fifth metatarsal in his right foot last week when he was struck by a comeback liner, and the team placed him on the 15-day injured list the next day. Manning told reporters Sunday that after his x-rays were examined by multiple specialists, the agreed-upon treatment would be let the fracture heal with rest (Twitter thread via Evan Woodbery of MLive.com). The alternative would’ve been to have a screw inserted to help stabilize the fracture, but both options came with recovery timelines of six weeks anyhow. He could begin a throwing program as soon as next week and is hopeful he can meet that six-week timeline.

Manning’s foot fracture is the latest in a growing line of setbacks for both Manning himself and the Tigers’ rotation at large. Manning’s career to date has been slowed by both shoulder and forearm troubles, which combined to limit him to just 85 1/3 innings between the minors and big leagues a year ago. He, along with fellow right-hander Casey Mize and lefty Tarik Skubal, was generally viewed as a the foundation of what the Tigers hoped to be their rotation of the future. Mize, however, had both Tommy John surgery and back surgery last summer. Skubal went on the injured list just prior to the trade deadline with what was originally billed as a minor forearm strain, only to undergo flexor surgery a few weeks later.

With that trio now shelved, the Tigers are looking to the quintet of Eduardo Rodriguez, Michael Lorenzen, Matthew Boyd, Spencer Turnbull and Joey Wentz in the rotation for the time being. Rodriguez is playing out the second season of a five-year deal that has thus far not panned out. Both Lorenzen and Boyd signed one-year deals in free agency. Turnbull is looking to bounce back from his own Tommy John surgery (performed in 2021), while Wentz, a former Braves top prospect who came over in the Shane Greene trade, is merely hoping to establish himself at the big league level.

Of the Tigers’ once-touted trio of youngsters, Manning could still be the first to rejoin the team. He’ll certainly beat Mize back to the field, barring any kind of major setback, as Mize’s Tommy John procedure and back procedure both came last June. Skubal, at last check earlier this month, was doing some low-intensity throwing nearly every day but hadn’t yet built up to mound work. He’s on the 60-day injured list, so the earliest he’d be able to return is late May.

Manning, a former No. 9 overall pick in the draft, climbed as high as No. 17 on Baseball America’s annual Top 100 prospect list (pre-2020) but has yet to solidify himself as a big league regular. After a brutal debut in 2021, when he was tagged for a 5.80 ERA in 85 1/3 innings, he improved to a 3.43 ERA in 63 frames last year — albeit with a middling 18.3% strikeout rate. His velocity during spring training was a point of concern, though the 93.2 mph he averaged on his heater in two regular-season starts is generally in line with the 93.5 mph he averaged last season.

Manning only turned 25 years old two months ago, so there’s plenty of time for him to get healthy and step up as a vital member of the Detroit rotation, both in 2023 and for the foreseeable future. Given the health troubles elsewhere among the team’s formerly ballyhooed  collection of pitchers, it’s all the more pivotal to the team’s outlook that he does so.

April 12: The Tigers announced today that Manning has been placed on the 15-day injured list with infielder Tyler Nevin recalled to take his place on the roster.

April 11: Tigers starter Matt Manning fractured the fifth metatarsal in his right foot during tonight’s loss to the Blue Jays, the team informed reporters (including Chris McCosky of the Detroit News). The right-hander was in a walking boot in the clubhouse.

Manning sustained the injury on his final pitch of the start. An Alejandro Kirk comebacker bounced off his foot and rolled to Spencer Torkelson at first base. Manning was able to scramble to first base to receive the throw from Torkelson and record the putout. That likely would’ve ended his start regardless, as he finished the sixth inning on 85 pitches. It wasn’t until after the game that it became clear Manning had been injured on the play.

The 25-year-old downplayed the issue after the game, stating he hoped he’d be back relatively shortly (via Jason Beck of MLB.com). It’s hard to imagine he won’t require at least a brief stint on the 15-day injured list, though, which would represent another setback in his young career. Manning lost most of the first half of the 2022 campaign to shoulder inflammation. The foot issue is a fluke incident that isn’t likely to present the same kind of overarching concern of last year’s shoulder problem, but it seems likely to cost him some time.

A former ninth overall pick, Manning has long been viewed as a potential core piece in Detroit. The Tigers anchored their rebuild around young pitching, with Manning joining Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal and 2020 third overall pick Jackson Jobe as hopeful impact starters. Unfortunately, all four of those hurlers have battled significant injury issues. Mize could miss the entire season recovering from last summer’s Tommy John surgery. Skubal is on the 60-day injured list after undergoing a flexor tendon repair last August. Jobe could miss the majority of the minor league campaign due to lumbar spine inflammation.

The Tigers have turned to a starting five of Matthew Boyd, Eduardo Rodriguez, Spencer Turnbull, Manning and Joey Wentz to open the year. Righty Michael Lorenzen was signed to a free agent deal to hold down a job. He started the year on the IL with a minor groin strain but is expected to be reinstated later in the week after making a rehab start for Triple-A Toledo last Saturday. Should Manning require an IL stint, the Tigers could plug Lorenzen into his spot and keep Wentz in the starting five.