12:54 p.m.: Tigers fans can breathe a sigh of relief, it seems. General manager Al Avila told reporters that Manning was lifted not because of an arm or shoulder injury, but because he had become increasingly dizzy and did not feel well (Twitter link via Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press). It’s not yet clear if Manning will need an additional appearance in rehab due to today’s being cut short.
11:46 a.m.: Tigers on the right Matt Manning left his minor league rehab assignment in the third inning with an apparent injury, tweet MLB.com’s Jason Beck. The 24-year-old landed on the injured list with shoulder inflammation on April 20 and was on his third start of his minor league rehab stint. Manning, who had already gone through three of his first 2 1/3 frames, dove the Pirates shortstop Kevin Newman before a visit by the coach which ended with him leaving the game.
There’s no official word from the Tigers yet, but another injury to Manning will only add to what has been a snake-bitten 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 2022 injuries – and they could soon be joined by an agent free. Eduardo Rodriguez, who left yesterday’s game against the Rays in the first inning with a left sided injury. Manager AJ Hinch said yesterday that Rodriguez would likely need a trip on the injured list.
Manning was the ninth overall pick in the 2016 draft and for years was considered a potential staple of the Tigers’ pitching staff. He was hit hard in 85 1/3 innings in his MLB debut last year, though the majority of his outings were solid in nature. Manning was blasted for six or more runs in four of his 18 starts en route to a 5.80 ERA, but he finished the year with a more acceptable 4.43 ERA in his last five outings. He threw a 2.25 ERA with four strikeouts, no walks and a 52% rush rate in eight innings this season, but left his second start after two innings due to shoulder discomfort. .
Detroit’s rotation is in shambles right now, albeit left-handed Tarik Skubal seems to be in the middle of a real breakout. It is followed by the former first round Alex Fedo and rookie Beautiful Brieske, and it’s unclear where the Tigers will turn beyond that line. Long reliever Rony Garcia impressed in relief from Rodriguez yesterday, and the Tigers have a veteran too Wily Peralta in a long relief role right now. Peralta was a valuable pick-up for them last year, making 18 starts and hitting a 3.07 ERA – albeit with more shaky underlying numbers. Down in Triple-A, veteran chase anderson pitched pretty well on a minor league contract, as did the 24-year-old pitchers Joey Wentz and Elvin Rodriguez – who are both on the 40-man list.