Robertson, Everett exit with injuries

03/25/09 5:52 PM ET
Robertson, Everett exit with injuries
While not considered serious, timetable uncertain for lefty, shortstop

By Anthony DiComo / MLB.com

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- The Tigers were supposed to become whole on Thursday night, with their four World Baseball Classic stars due back in the lineup. But manager Jim Leyland's first look at his Opening Day lineup will now have to wait.

Left-hander Nate Robertson, a strong candidate for the fifth starter's role, and starting shortstop Adam Everett both left Wednesday's game against the Mets with injuries. Though return dates for both players remain unclear, both will miss at least some time during this critical portion of camp.

Robertson sprained his left thumb attempting to field the relay of a double play in the bottom of the first inning, when shortstop Danny Worth's throw struck him on the hand. Robertson left the stadium to have an X-ray, the results of which the Tigers were still awaiting after Wednesday's game.

"I don't think it's anything," Leyland said. "He's just real swollen."

Worth was only playing because Everett had suffered a Grade 1 sprain of his left ankle the previous half-inning while sliding into second base. Attempting to stretch a single into a double after the sun's glare caused his popup to fall into shallow left field, Everett slid in safely but immediately began grimacing in pain.

"I thought he blew his knee out at first," Leyland said.

After a visit from Leyland and the training staff, Everett limped off the field. The Tigers consider him day to day.

It was a costly road trip for the Tigers, who were looking forward to welcoming Miguel Cabrera, Magglio Ordonez, Carlos Guillen and Curtis Granderson back into the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rays. Everett was also scheduled to be in the lineup, along with the team's four other regulars. Now, the Tigers will have to wait indefinitely before they can become whole.

Everett was batting .268 this spring, with two doubles and a home run in 41 at-bats. His absence gave an opportunity to Worth, an infield prospect who already ranks among the best defenders in the Tigers' organization.

"Worth can play shortstop anywhere right now -- trust me," Leyland said.

The Tigers just didn't intend for him to do so for eight innings in Port St. Lucie.

Seemingly more serious was the injury to Robertson, both in its severity and in its implications. Regardless of the X-ray results, Leyland said he didn't expect Robertson to throw his next side session in the bullpen. That means that Robertson's next scheduled start, Monday against the Nationals, is also in doubt.

It's poor timing for a pitcher who is fighting for a job, battling rookie Rick Porcello for the fifth starter's role. Robertson was enjoying a fine spring, posting a 3.27 ERA in 11 innings heading into Wednesday's play. And though Porcello remains close behind with a 4.26 mark, Robertson has the advantage of spending the past half-dozen seasons with the Tigers -- almost exclusively as a starter.

Still, health is more important.

Robertson's injury did not come without a curious byproduct, either. Zach Miner, who joined the team in Port St. Lucie as the emergency sixth pitcher, relieved Robertson and proceeded to fire 3 1/3 shutout innings, striking out three and allowing three hits and a walk. Miner, 27, is all but a lock to make the team out of Spring Training, albeit in a bullpen role. Wednesday's performance may not have changed that, but it did raise Leyland's eyebrows just a bit.

Prior to Wednesday's outing, Minor had posted a 7.88 ERA in 16 spring innings.

"It's a perfect example of not overthinking," Leyland said. "It was a surprise, and he went out there with good stuff and pitched his butt off. When you sit around and think and think and think and think, sometimes you give people too much credit and you don't do as well. I really think that had something to do with it. His stuff is plenty good now. He went out there and pitched and looked like a very good big league pitcher today."

How Wednesday's injuries will affect the Tigers moving forward remains unclear. The team just doesn't know yet how serious Robertson's sprain is, or how long Everett will need before he can return to the lineup. What the Tigers do know is that neither injury appears serious, and that their subs performed admirably.

Given how grave Wednesday could have become, they'll certainly take that alternative.

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

Two Tigers hurt as camp nears end

BY JON PAUL MOROSI • FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER • March 26, 2009

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- One week from today, the Tigers will board a charter flight bound for Atlanta. They will play two exhibition games there. Then the regular season begins.

In the meantime, the team has two primary objectives: get ready and stay healthy. For that reason, they didn't have a great game on Wednesday.

More specifically, they didn't have a great first inning on Wednesday.

Before their 10-6 victory over the New York Mets was six outs old, the Tigers had watched two important players exit the game much earlier than expected.

Adam Everett, their everyday shortstop, hobbled off after spraining his left ankle on a slide into second base on the afternoon's first play. Then left-hander Nate Robertson was hit on the thumb of his pitching hand by a throw from Danny Worth -- Everett's replacement -- during an attempted double play.

The Tigers described Robertson's injury as a sprained thumb, but the team's medical staff won't be able to make a fully informed diagnosis until today. It appeared that Robertson's hand was too swollen for an X ray to be taken immediately after he left the game.

Manager Jim Leyland sounded hopeful that Robertson, who was charged with an error on the play, had sustained only a soft-tissue injury. But Leyland acknowledged that the hand was "pretty swollen." Depending on the extent of the injury, Robertson's next start -- slated for Monday -- could be in doubt.

Everett appeared to be in such severe pain after the slide that Leyland feared he had blown out his knee. But since Everett was able to walk off the field on his own, Leyland hopes he'll be able to return within the next several days.

"I don't think he'll be long," Leyland said, "but I don't know that."

Robertson's injury could disrupt the pitching plans that had only recently begun to coalesce. With seven scoreless innings over his previous two outings, Robertson had built a compelling case to be the Tigers' No. 5 starter. If he is unable to pitch for any substantial length of time, the candidacy of star prospect Rick Porcello could gain new momentum.

Porcello, coming off the least effective of his four appearances this spring, is scheduled to start tonight against Tampa Bay.

And to think, the sequence of events that led to the injuries began when Mets shortstop Jose Reyes apparently forgot to put on his sunglasses before taking the field on a bright, near-cloudless day at Tradition Field.

Everett, in a rare leadoff appearance, sent a popup to shallow leftfield. It was playable -- routine, even -- for Reyes, but he couldn't find it against the blinding sky.

The ball fell, and Everett saw the opportunity to take second base. He slid in safely on a close play but immediately began writhing in pain. Leyland and assistant athletic trainer Steve Carter rushed to check on him. After a few moments, he headed for the clubhouse with a noticeable limp.

As Worth, a shortstop prospect, jogged out to replace him, someone emerged from the Mets' dugout to hand Reyes a pair of sunglasses.

In the bottom of the inning, Robertson appeared to elicit an inning-ending double-play ball from slugger Carlos Delgado. Don Kelly fielded the grounder cleanly at first base and threw to Worth. Robertson hurried to the bag for the return throw. But it hit the wrong hand.

"That's the toughest double play to turn, when the pitcher's covering," Worth said. "You have to lead the throw. I'm throwing to the bag and trying to time it."

If Everett had been playing shortstop, would his throw have hit Robertson on the hand? The Tigers will never know. And today, they are left to hope that they won't be haunted by a hypothetical.

Injury update hopeful for Tigers' Robertson, Everett

By JON PAUL MOROSI • FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER • March 26, 2009

LAKELAND, Fla. — The Tigers received some encouraging news today on the injuries suffered by left-hander Nate Robertson and shortstop Adam Everett during Wednesday’s win over the New York Mets.

X-rays of Robertson’s sprained left thumb revealed no fractures. But he wasn’t able to bend the thumb completely and said it was still “very sore.”

Robertson, who had been building a strong case to be the Tigers’ fifth starter, was slated to start again on Monday. Even though the injury doesn’t appear serious, it’s unclear if he will be able to pitch then.

Robertson, though, remained hopeful. “I’m a pretty tough guy,” he said this afternoon.

Meanwhile, Everett said he hopes to miss only “a few days” with his sprained left ankle. “I want to be back as soon as possible,” he said.

In other news:

• Joel Zumaya threw a bullpen session today.

• The Tigers reassigned outfielder Alexis Gomez, infielder Don Kelly and catcher Max St. Pierre to minor league camp. Wilkin Ramirez was optioned to Triple-A Toledo.