Roster moves on the Tigers' farm (5-5-10) E-mail
Written by Matt Wallace   
Wednesday, 05 May 2010 16:21
Suffice it to say, Tiger fans could probably use a bit of good news today. For that, we need look no further than the middle of the state. That's where Jacob Turner will be returning from his stay on the disabled list as he takes the mound tonight against the Great Lakes Loons. A corresponding roster move won't really be necessary because filling Turner's spot on the shelf will be Nolan Cain. 

I would expect the impact of Turner's return on the rotation to be large. Victor Larez, in his three starts, has given up 20 hits and 12 runs while striking out just four batters and walking three. He's taken the loss in all three starts, even though he only gave up one in the first of those. So he'll be going back to the bullpen, where his numbers weren't magnificent but they also don't carry parental warnings. 

Turner is certainly the big roster news in the minors, but he's not the only news. Mike Morrison, who was added to the Lakeland roster when Ramon Garcia was called up to Erie, was placed on the 7-day disabled list with tightness in his forearm. Miguel Mejia was called up from extended spring training to fill in for what Mark Anderson's sources expect will be little more than the minimum amount of time. 

Those extended spring training guys are being kept busy by other injuries as well. Two catchers were forced into action as Mike Rabelo and John Murrian are both making trips to the disabled list. Rabelo has a sore left knee according the Hens' website. Murrian's injury is a little more serious, as he is going to miss some time with a broken hamate bone. That's something to keep in mind because not only is he going to lose time, his numbers at the plate are probably going to suffer for a while after he returns. Replacing Rabelo in Toledo and Murrian in Lakeland are Angel Flores and Julio Rodriguez, respectively. 

Flores has been a roving backup for the Tiger organization for quite a while now but Rodriguez's ultimate role isn't quite so clear. He came stateside last year, spending most of his time with the GCL Tigers, and is just 20 years old. His assignment to Lakeland is likely one of convenience but we should always have an eye out for potentially intriguing catching prospects. Rodriguez earned himself a little intrigue in his debut when he had two hits including a home run. 

The final transaction for today comes as no surprise. Austin Wood was placed back on the disabled list with some more shoulder issues and Mark's comment, "there's some decisions to be made in the coming weeks" sounds particularly ominous. I say this move comes as no surprise because Wood was activated from the disabled list for almost two weeks and proceeded to pitch 1.1 innings over that time. Last week, he made one appearance that last one third of an inning.


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Comments (10)Add Comment
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written by Ben B., May 05, 2010
Does anyone know if Wood was damaged when we signed him out of college since he made that long outing at the end of the season.
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written by Ben B., May 07, 2010
Was an injury the reason that Murrian was hitting so poorly?
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written by MattinToledo, May 07, 2010
Ben - RE: Wood. You generally don't get direct statements about stuff like that. If they said anything, it would more likely be something like, "We saw some stuff when we looked at his arm, but it wasn't significantly different than what we see with other college pitchers." Note, that quote is hypothetical. I've never seen the Tigers comment on the condition of his arm coming out of college. Personally, I'd be inclined to think a relief pitcher throwing about 170 pitches in a high stress environment shouldn't be surprised if and when there are long-term effects.

Re: Murrian. I don't know. He seemed to be coming to life in the games before his injury. The fact that he came out mid-game would lead me to believe it was something more sudden but it's not like he was hit by a pitch. He was removed after flying out, so it's possible the wrist had been bothering him. Regardless, it's a tough situation for the Tigers' system which wasn't exactly swimming in catching prospects before this.
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written by Ben B., May 08, 2010
Thank you Matt. Totally agree with you on Wood, way to many pitches for a reliever. As for Murrian it's to bad he got hurt right when he was heating up. Makes me wish we would had kept Newton even more now.
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written by Ben B., May 10, 2010
Just curious, but if Turner does great up till the all star break or so does he have a chance to move up to Lakeland, or is he going to stay at West MI all year?
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written by stephen grosberg, May 10, 2010
In my opinion, the Tigers are too busy drafting fastball pitchers that can't find the strike zone, with the exception of Weinhardt and Zumaya instead of finding a catcher once in awhile with the exception of Avila. Then when they find Weinhardt, Villarreal, and Figaro, they're slow to promote them. Instead they limp along with Bonderman and Willis. I hope I'm not repeating myself by mid year. Look at the Twins promoting. It's one of the reasons for their success. They're still undecided about keeping Boesch vs. Kelly. Enough of this versatility talk.
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written by Ben B., May 11, 2010
Stephen they have stuck with Bondo and Willis because of the money they are owed and because they have both pitched "ok". If I had to choose to keep them or cut them right this min I would keep Willis and cut Bondo. I have never been a fan of Bonderman's because he never lived up to the hype and has always had problems after getting two outs in an inning and getting out of the first inning without giving up a few runs. Now do I think that Figaro could replace him and do a better job, yes. Do I think Bondo will get at least a few more starts, yes. We will just have to wait and see, but I would be suprised if they cut him before the All Star break. You never know he might turn it around, but I wouldn't bet on it.
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written by stephen grosberg, May 11, 2010
Many thanks Ben B. If I make a mistake, I admit it, take appropriate action, and greatly improve my position if I can. Figaro replaces Bondo as soon as possible and L. J. Gagnier replaces Figaro. Brad Thomas can't throw strikes and should be replaced by Robbie Weinhardt #1 because he has a fastball, throws strikes, and eats innings. Jay Sborz is also OK, but he doesn't eat innings as well. If a pitcher goes DL, either one should replace him. The only reason Thomas is still there is Rick Knapp. I just can't get used to Ryan Perry because he doesn't throw strikes. If it weren't for Ordonez's catch last night, he would have blown another. That's why we need Weinhardt/Sborz. How long is it going to take the Tigers to wake up? With Boesch and some other changes, the Tigers have the makings of a championship. The key is Boesch and other minor leaguers continuing to perform.
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written by TigersFan81371, May 11, 2010
Isn't Jay Sborz being used as Toledo's closer right now? I don't think closers are there to eat innings.
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written by stephen grosberg, May 12, 2010
Robbie Weinhardt would eat innings, not Jay Sborz as I said above. With Figaro up, the Tigers can now promote L. J. Gagnier to Toledo and Brayan Villarreal to Erie.

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