Bonderman likely headed to disabled list

03/30/09 7:26 PM ET
Bonderman frustrated by slow start
Right-hander likely headed to disabled list as camp breaks this week

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

VIERA, Fla. -- The feeling in Jeremy Bonderman's right shoulder isn't pain, he says, but tightness. The feeling in Jeremy Bonderman's head is clearly frustration.

He doesn't know what to make of his outing Sunday, when he needed more than 50 pitches to retire just four batters. The back-to-back home runs don't concern him as much as the way he felt throwing.

And as the days dwindle before the Tigers leave Spring Training on Thursday, Bonderman doesn't have much more of a sense about his extended stay in Florida.

"It's one of those things," Bonderman said Monday. "It's frustrating, but you keep on going. I'm trying to fight through some things."

The tightness is one of them. An MRI exam earlier this month showed no structural damage in Bonderman's shoulder, so it doesn't seem to be another injury. The effects of it, however, have become a road block along his way back to the Tigers' rotation.

Bonderman said the shoulder tightness is from the surgery he had last summer to take care of blood clots in his arm. Once he gets through it, he believes, the velocity should follow.

To get there, Bonderman needs to keep pitching, said manager Jim Leyland. That's where Sunday's outing, for all its struggles, represented some sort of progress.

"He's trying to get it back, and he needs to pitch to do that," Leyland said, "so I was very happy. It's not going to happen overnight. He threw free and easy. That's a good sign. We'll see how he feels."

Asked if it was a good or bad outing, Bonderman said, "I think something in between. I'm not sure what it is."

His status isn't any clearer. Even if he were to feel great in a day, Bonderman would still need to keep stretching out his arm before being ready to start. The Tigers are expected to place him on the disabled list in the coming days. They could date it to Monday and get him back a week into the regular season, but there's no guarantee that he'll be ready by then.

"I think it's just a matter of time," he said.

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

More of the same.

Same s**t different season.

Dammit!

This sucks!

Bonderman to DL with tight shoulder
Right-hander's Grapefruit League season ends after 3 1/3 innings

LAKELAND, Fla. -- The Tigers' release of Gary Sheffield was a stunner Tuesday morning. The Tigers' move to put Jeremy Bonderman on the 15-day disabled list was not.

With Bonderman still trying to regain his arm strength and loosen up his shoulder, the move to the DL was essentially a formality. The question now becomes how long he'll be out and how the Tigers will fill his void in the starting rotation.

Detroit also thinned out its outfield competition by optioning Clete Thomas to Triple-A Toledo and assigning Timo Perez to Minor League camp. Second baseman Will Rhymes, who had a long stay with the big league club while shortstop Adam Everett was injured, was also sent to Minor League camp.

Bonderman had a frustrating performance in his lone Spring Training appearance Sunday against the Braves, who hit him for two home runs and three runs total. He retired four batters over his 50-plus pitches. Bonderman called it neither a good nor a bad development on his road back to health because the buildup of pitches was seen as a positive from a strength standpoint.

"I think it's just a matter of time," Bonderman said Monday on his timetable for a healthy return.

How much time it will take is anyone's guess. The Tigers don't expect it to be long, but they also plan to being cautious on Bonderman, who missed more than half of last season after undergoing surgery to address a circulatory ailment in his shoulder.

Because the Tigers backdated the DL stint to Monday, Bonderman can be activated as soon as April 14, the second Tuesday of the season. Whether he'll be ready that quickly is anyone's guess, but because the Tigers don't have an off day until April 16, they'll need a fifth starter before Bonderman can come back. Thus, Bonderman's spot has to be replaced rather than skipped over.

That's where the competition for the existing opening in the rotation becomes interesting. Rick Porcello and Nate Robertson were both scheduled to pitch Tuesday against the Nationals in what will likely be their final outings before roster decisions are finalized. Zach Miner's 3 2/3 innings of one-hit ball Sunday put him back into contention for a starting role as well, but Leyland hasn't announced when he'll pitch again.

While the pitching competition continues, the moves on Thomas and Perez whittles down the battle for the final roster spot. Perez, a non-roster invitee, hit his way into serious consideration while Detroit's starting outfielders were away at the World Baseball Classic. However, he is not considered a power hitter. He'll likely return to Triple-A Toledo for his third season with the Mud Hens.

Thomas might well have been in the thick of the competition except for his recovery from Tommy John right elbow reconstruction surgery, which limited him to designated hitter duties until about a week ago. His throwing arm has rebounded nicely, and while he'll open the season with the Hens, there's a very good chance he'll be back in Detroit at some point in the year.

"I think it's the best thing that could've happened," Leyland said. "He might not feel that way today, but he will at some point, because I believe that Clete Thomas is an everyday big league player."

With those two now out, the battle for the final roster spot is down to Jeff Larish, Ryan Raburn and Brent Clevlen, and a decision isn't expected until Thursday. Raburn and Larish both have Minor League options, while the Tigers would have to get Clevlen through waivers to outright him back to Toledo.

Rhymes went from a non-roster prospect to one of the bright spots of camp with his all-around play. Though he was never in contention for a role in Detroit, his extended time thanks to Everett's injury allowed him to show off his surprising potent hitting to go with solid defense.

"He's made a heck of an impression. He really did," Leyland said. "He's probably not one of those guys who's going to go leaps and bounds and all of a sudden be a star. He's one of those guys that's going to have to keep grinding to get here, and when he gets here, he'll have to keep grinding to stay here."

The moves leave 31 players in camp.

03/31/09 1:53 PM ET
Bonderman to DL with tight shoulder
Right-hander's Grapefruit League season ends after 3 1/3 innings

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

LAKELAND, Fla. -- The Tigers' release of Gary Sheffield was a stunner Tuesday morning. The Tigers' move to put Jeremy Bonderman on the 15-day disabled list was not.

With Bonderman still trying to regain his arm strength and loosen up his shoulder, the move to the DL was essentially a formality. The question now becomes how long he'll be out and how the Tigers will fill his void in the starting rotation.

Detroit also thinned out its outfield competition by optioning Clete Thomas to Triple-A Toledo and assigning Timo Perez to Minor League camp. Second baseman Will Rhymes, who had a long stay with the big league club while shortstop Adam Everett was injured, was also sent to Minor League camp.

Bonderman had a frustrating performance in his lone Spring Training appearance Sunday against the Braves, who hit him for two home runs and three runs total. He retired four batters over his 50-plus pitches. Bonderman called it neither a good nor a bad development on his road back to health because the buildup of pitches was seen as a positive from a strength standpoint.

"I think it's just a matter of time," Bonderman said Monday on his timetable for a healthy return.

How much time it will take is anyone's guess. The Tigers don't expect it to be long, but they also plan to being cautious on Bonderman, who missed more than half of last season after undergoing surgery to address a circulatory ailment in his shoulder.

Because the Tigers backdated the DL stint to Monday, Bonderman can be activated as soon as April 14, the second Tuesday of the season. Whether he'll be ready that quickly is anyone's guess, but because the Tigers don't have an off day until April 16, they'll need a fifth starter before Bonderman can come back. Thus, Bonderman's spot has to be replaced rather than skipped over.

That's where the competition for the existing opening in the rotation becomes interesting. Rick Porcello and Nate Robertson were both scheduled to pitch Tuesday against the Nationals in what will likely be their final outings before roster decisions are finalized. Zach Miner's 3 2/3 innings of one-hit ball Sunday put him back into contention for a starting role as well, but Leyland hasn't announced when he'll pitch again.

While the pitching competition continues, the moves on Thomas and Perez whittles down the battle for the final roster spot. Perez, a non-roster invitee, hit his way into serious consideration while Detroit's starting outfielders were away at the World Baseball Classic. However, he is not considered a power hitter. He'll likely return to Triple-A Toledo for his third season with the Mud Hens.

Thomas might well have been in the thick of the competition except for his recovery from Tommy John right elbow reconstruction surgery, which limited him to designated hitter duties until about a week ago. His throwing arm has rebounded nicely, and while he'll open the season with the Hens, there's a very good chance he'll be back in Detroit at some point in the year.

"I think it's the best thing that could've happened," Leyland said. "He might not feel that way today, but he will at some point, because I believe that Clete Thomas is an everyday big league player."

With those two now out, the battle for the final roster spot is down to Jeff Larish, Ryan Raburn and Brent Clevlen, and a decision isn't expected until Thursday. Raburn and Larish both have Minor League options, while the Tigers would have to get Clevlen through waivers to outright him back to Toledo.

Rhymes went from a non-roster prospect to one of the bright spots of camp with his all-around play. Though he was never in contention for a role in Detroit, his extended time thanks to Everett's injury allowed him to show off his surprising potent hitting to go with solid defense.

"He's made a heck of an impression. He really did," Leyland said. "He's probably not one of those guys who's going to go leaps and bounds and all of a sudden be a star. He's one of those guys that's going to have to keep grinding to get here, and when he gets here, he'll have to keep grinding to stay here."

The moves leave 31 players in camp.

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

This leaves the rotation as follows...

1. Justin Verlander
2. Edwin Jackson
3. Armando Galarraga
4. ???
5. ???

Dontrelle Willis - DL
Jeremy Bonderman - DL
Nate Robertson
Rick Porcello
Eddie Bonine
Zach Miner

Robertson sucks, Porcello is a rookie, Bonine has done great in ST but is a AAA pitcher that might be best suited as a long reliever and Miner has already been designated to the bullpen.

CALL PEDRO NOW!!!

like minds... we both posted the same thing at the same time...

Zach Miner will be a starting pitcher

GO ZACH!

Bondo needs to get healthy quick

My guess is Zach Miner and Rick Porcello well be the last two starters. Bonine will go to the pen with Rincon, Perry, Rodney and Seay.

Call Pedro!

Oh yeah, let Miner be the other starter.

catbox_9 wrote:

Call Pedro!

Oh yeah, let Miner be the other starter.

Miner is gonna have a huge season

Just Watch


He will win 14 or 15 games with an ERA under 3.50

Official pitching staff to open 2009 season:

Starters:
Justin Verlander,
Edwin Jackson,
Armando Galarraga,
Zach Miner,
Rick Porcello

Bullpen:
Juan Rincon,
Ryan Perry,
Eddie Bonine,
Nate Robertson,
Bobby Seay,
Fernando Rodney,
Brandon Lyon

Verlander= 17 wins

Jackson= 13

Galarraga = 17


Miner = 14 or 15



Porcello= 5 wins. Bondo win will 10 when he comes back off DL


Those are my predictions

I would love to see Juan Rincon as closer, and Ryan Perry as setup. But they say Rodney is the closer for now.

GoGetEmTigers wrote:

I would love to see Juan Rincon as closer, and Ryan Perry as setup. But they say Rodney is the closer for now.

Rodney won't be for long

He will be done by Mid May

GoGetEmTigers wrote:

Official pitching staff to open 2009 season:

Starters:
Justin Verlander,
Edwin Jackson,
Armando Galarraga,
Zach Miner,
Rick Porcello

I'm a little nervous that one of the starters is younger than me.

I don't like the idea of a starting pitcher that can't go out and get a few drinks after the game.