The Tigers announced this afternoon that starting pitcher Eduardo Rodríguez is going on the restricted list. The club released a brief statement from general manager Al Avila accompanying the announcement, which reads: “Eduardo Rodríguez has informed the Club that due to personal matters he will not rejoin the team at this time. As a result, Eduardo has been placed on the restricted list until further notice.”
The team hasn’t provided any further details, nor is there any public timetable for his return. Tigers manager A.J. Hinch addressed the matter with reporters (including Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free-Press) shortly after the announcement, stating “The restricted list part is the relationship with the player and the organization. I knew he wasn’t going to make his start, and he wasn’t going to pitch in the minor leagues or the major leagues at this time. This was inevitable.” Hinch added he was “looking forward to (Rodríguez’s) return, whenever that is” and would “continue to support him.”
Rodríguez signed a five-year, $77MM guarantee this past offseason. That marked the first aggressive strike of an active winter for Avila and his front office, with the southpaw brought in from the Red Sox to hopefully anchor a strong starting staff. Injuries have dashed those hopes, however, as the club has lost Casey Mize to Tommy John surgery and been without Matt Manning for an extended period of time because of shoulder and biceps issues. Back-end starters Tyler Alexander and Michael Pineda have also missed time, as has Rodríguez himself.
The 29-year-old southpaw has been out of action since May 22, when he landed on the injured list due to a ribcage strain. He’d begun a rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo last week and seemed on track to rejoin the rotation in fairly short order, but he’ll be away from the team as he attends to his personal concerns.
Players on the restricted list are not paid, so Rodríguez will forfeit his salary for whatever time he spends away from the team. He also won’t count against the club’s 40-man roster.
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