The Tigers rightly announced it Julio Tehran was placed on the 10-day IL (retroactive to April 7) with a right shoulder strain. Right-handed Alex Lange has been called up from the team’s taxi group and will make his first Major League appearance.
Tehran would have started the Indians’ game last night, but he increased his right triceps as he warmed up in the butt of the first innings, leading to a very late scratch. With the injury to Tehran now defined as a shoulder strain, it is not a good sign for a pitcher who has been very durable during his 11 Major League seasons.
After a rough 2020 with the Angels, Tehran signed a minor league deal with Detroit that was guaranteed (at a $ 3 million salary) as soon as the Tigers added the veteran right-hander to their opening day list. His first start on April 3 was successful as Tehran threw five overs of one run and scored in the Tigers’ 5-2 victory over Cleveland.
Michael Fulmer now seems like the logical candidate to take Tehran’s place in the rotation. The 2016 AL Rookie Of The Year started the season as something of a swingman reliever, as Fulmer is still trying to rebuild his career after multiple arm injuries. The Tommy John operation suspended Fulmer for the entire 2019 and he placed an 8.78 ERA in 27 2/3 overs in 2020.
Lange spent much of his minor career as a starter, but the Tigers have used him as a reliever since joining the Cubs as part of the Nick Castellanos trade in July 2019. Lange was ranked 30th overall by the Cubs in the 2017 draft, and the 25-year-old judge has an ERA of 4.54 over 232 minor league edits. He will make the leap to the big leagues without any Triple-A experience, though Lange hit Detroit’s alternative training ground last season instead of any league ball. MLB Pipeline ranks Lange 29th in their list of the Tigers’ top-30 prospects, with some plus heights – a 60-degree curveball and a 55-degree fastball that set the 97-point plateau at Spring Training km / h.