When the Detroit Tigers signed Eduardo Rodriguez to a 5-year, $77 million deal in the offseason, the hope was that he would come in and be the ace of their pitching staff.
Well, fast forward to the present, and until recently, it had been over a month since Rodriguez had spoken to the Tigers.
Al Avila, A.J. Hinch address ‘awkward situation' regarding Eduardo Rodriguez
Prior to Saturday's game against the Minnesota Twins, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch and GM Al Avila spoke to the media and addressed the “awkward situation” regarding Rodriguez.
“He expressed to me that he's working hard, his personal situations are being taken care of, and at some point, he'll be over that,” said Avila, who spoke to Rodriguez on Friday. “He's looking forward to coming back, rejoining the team and helping us win.”
“I've talked to him a couple times,” Hinch said. “Initially, when we got back in touch, I was just making sure he was OK and checking on his family. The second time was about the throwing program and the progression like a spring training. He's doing fine and obviously tending to a lot of personal matters and spending time with his kids and getting his kids ready for school.”
As far as potential issues within the Tigers clubhouse when Rodriguez returns, Avila does not see that happening.
“I don't think so,” Avila said. “At the point when he comes back, I'm sure he's going to have to talk to his teammates and address the team, and we'll move on from there.”
“He's a good pitcher, obviously,” Avila said. “We signed him because he has a good, long track record of dependability on the mound. Unfortunately, he's had a personal issue that he felt he needed to take care of at this point. We just have to move on from there.”
From Detroit Free Press:
The 29-year-old is working through a throwing program in South Florida — designed by pitching coach Chris Fetter — and is expected to return to the big leagues in late August.
Rodriguez will remain unpaid and on the restricted list until he takes the mound for the Tigers. A player on the restricted list cannot be reinstated between Aug. 1 and Oct. 31 unless the commissioner's office has approved the reinstatement.
Nation, how do you think the situation with Eduardo Rodriguez plays out?
