Denny Bautista cut to make room for Zumaya

Denny Bautista cut to make room for Zumaya

SAN DIEGO – For days, Tigers fans pondered the question: When Joel Zumaya comes back, which pitcher would be removed from the active roster?

The answer came this afternoon: Denny Bautista.

The team announced today that they have designated Bautista’s contract for assignment, meaning the club now has 10 days to trade, release or outright him to the minor leagues.

He was 0-1 with a 3.32 ERA in 16 appearances with the team this year.

Detroit officials informed teams earlier this week that they were willing to trade Bautista, but apparently a deal could not be reached prior to tonight’s series opener against the San Diego Padres.

Bautista, a 27-year-old right-hander, opened the season as Detroit’s primary eighth-inning setup man. He pitched effectively for most of April but struggled with his command one night late that month at Yankee Stadium. His season was not the same after that.

Days after that performance in New York, he landed on the disabled list with shoulder trouble. He missed virtually all of May and had a diminished role upon his return earlier this month.

He made only three appearances after coming off the disabled list, and all were with the Tigers comfortably ahead or well behind.

The move leaves Detroit with the following pitchers in the bullpen:

Right-handers – Todd Jones, Joel Zumaya, Fernando Rodney, Zach Miner and Freddy Dolsi

Left-handers – Casey Fossum and Bobby Seay

... Wasn't Bautista one of our only really reliable guys?

:bautista:

Other guys had options, and yes, Denny has been doing great, hopefully nobody grabs him!

I hope Zoom is ready! Go Joel! Swing that guitar!

06/20/2008 4:53 PM ET
Zumaya in, Bautista out for Tigers
Fill-in right-hander designated to make room for flamethrower
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

SAN DIEGO -- The Tigers traded for Denny Bautista at last year's Winter Meetings with the hope that he could help fill the gap while Joel Zumaya recovered from shoulder surgery. Now that Zumaya is back, Bautista is out, designated for assignment on Friday to make room on Detroit's 25-man roster to activate Zumaya from the disabled list.

The Tigers have 10 days to make a move with Bautista. They can outright him to Triple-A Toledo if he passes through waivers, or they could try to trade him if another team shows interest.

Bautista came to Detroit from Colorado for Jose Capellan in what was essentially a Winter Meetings swap of relievers who were out of Minor League options. It was an obscure deal once the Tigers finalized their trade for Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis hours later, but the move looked like a success once Bautista opened the season as the Tigers' setup man with Zumaya and Fernando Rodney injured.

Bautista has bounced from team to team over the last several years with the same appeal, a gifted arm with an upper-90s fastball and nasty breaking ball, but inconsistent command. He commanded the fastball in Spring Training, and the results were impressive.

By mid-April, however, that control started to wane. He walked the bases loaded and hit another batter during a late April outing against the Yankees, and he landed on the disabled list soon after that with right shoulder tendinitis. That created an opportunity for Freddy Dolsi to make the jump from Double-A Erie and take the ball in late-inning situations.

Once Bautista returned from the DL early this month, his chances were limited. He had pitched in just three games this month, mostly in long relief. The 27-year-old finished with an 0-1 record and 3.32 ERA in 16 appearances, allowing 15 hits over 19 innings with 14 walks and 10 strikeouts.

The move means Dolsi will remain in Detroit's bullpen even with Rodney and Zumaya now back. The Tigers could've optioned him without exposing him to waivers, but the 25-year-old has made an impression on team management.

The Tigers had already announced earlier this week that Zumaya would be activated Friday for this weekend's series against the Padres. He missed the first 2 1/2 months this season following a rare surgery last fall to repair the A/C joint in his shoulder.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.