12:54 p.m.: Tigers fans can breathe a sigh of relief it seems. General manager Al Avila told reporters that Manning was not lifted because of an arm or shoulder injury, but because he was becoming increasingly dizzy and not feeling well (Twitter link via Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press). It’s not yet clear if Manning will need an additional rehab gig as today’s was cut short.
11:46 am: tigers right Matt Manning left his minor league rehab stint in the third inning with an apparent injury, tweets MLB.com’s Jason Beck. The 24-year-old ended up on the injured list on April 20 due to a shoulder infection and started for the third time in his minor league rehab stint. Manning, who was three through his first 2 1/3 frames, dropped Pirate’s shortstop Kevin Neuman before a visit from the coach that ended in his elimination from the game.
There’s no formal word from the Tigers yet, but further injuries for Manning will only add to what has been a snakebite rotation in Detroit this year. The Tigers currently have Manning, Casey Mize, Tyler Alexander, Michael Pineda and Spencer Turnbull on the injured list. Turnbull was expected to miss most of the 2022 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery last summer, but the other four are dealing with injuries in 2022 – and they could soon be backed by a free- Agent signer to be accompanied Eduardo Rodriguez, who left yesterday’s start against the Rays in the first inning due to an injury to his left side. Manager AJ Hinch yesterday said Rodriguez would likely need a trip to the injured list.
Manning was the ninth pick in the 2016 draft and has been a potential addition to the Tigers’ pitching staff for years. During his MLB debut last year, he was hit hard through 85 1/3 innings, although most of his games were solid in nature. Manning was blown up in four of his 18 starts en route to a 5.80 ERA for six or more heats, but he finished the year with a more palatable 4.43 ERA in his last five races. He had a 2.25 ERA in eight innings this season with four strikeouts, no walks and a 52% grounder rate, but left his second start after two innings with a shoulder problem.
The Detroit rotation is in shambles at the moment, albeit on the left Tariq Skubal appears to be in the midst of a real eruption. He is followed by a former first rounder Alex Faedo and newbie Beau Brieske, and it’s not clear where the Tigers will head after this trio. Long relief Rony Garcia Rodriguez impressed yesterday with relief and the Tigers have veterans too Smart Peralta in a long relief role at the moment. Peralta was a valuable pickup for her last year, making 18 starts and posting a 3.07 ERA – albeit with shakier underlying numbers. Down in Triple-A, veteran Track Anderson did fairly well on a minor league deal, as did the 24-year-old hurler Joey Wentz and Elvin Rodriguez – both are on the 40-man list.