Heading into the 2022 MLB season, the hope was that newly signed free agent SP Eduardo Rodriguez would come in and lead the Detroit Tigers‘ starting rotation.
Unfortunately, Rodriguez was dealing with marital issues and he “ghosted” the Tigers for an entire month during the middle of the season.
Now, Rodriguez, who has not pitched for the Tigers since May 18, has been reinstated and he is scheduled to pitch on Sunday against the Los Angeles Angels at Comerica Park.
Detroit Tigers SP Eduardo Rodriguez addresses his teammates after long absence
On Friday, Eduardo Rodriguez spoke to reporters prior to the Tigers matchup against the Angels.
Here is what Rodriguez and Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch had to say to reporters, via Cody Stavenhagen and Jason Beck:
-Eduardo Rodriguez just addressed the media upon his return to the Tigers. Didn’t reveal much new about his situation but handled himself fine. He addressed his teammates privately earlier.
-Eduardo Rodriguez said his Tigers teammates “are really the ones who have to know what really happened in my life, because I’m here with them every day and I just want to keep it the way it is, keep it with them and with my family back in Miami.”
-A.J. Hinch: “I gave him the choice on addressing the group or not. He was emphatic that he wanted to. That means a lot to me, it means a lot to the club.”
-Eduardo Rodriguez: “It’s difficult to step away from what I’ve been through all my career, my teammates and everything. But for me, family is always first. My second family is my teammates and the organization … I’m back here with my second family.”
-A.J. Hinch: ” I think you can have two emotions at the same time. You can be very emotional and supportive in what he’s had to go through and also very frustrated that we haven’t had one of our best pitchers. That’s OK. I told our guys that. We welcome him back.”
-A.J. Hinch: “It’s a reminder to all of us that these guys are human … They have the same life experiences that anyone in any job does. It’s public, and that makes it very difficult and it’s a different job that we have. The winning, the losing, the teammate component.”
-Eduardo Rodriguez said he was working out and throwing the entire time he was away. Also said he had help from a psychologist on the mental side. “I feel good to go out there mentally, body wise, and in all those aspects to go out there and pitch.”
-Asked Eduardo Rodriguez if his period of no contact with the Tigers caused any problems. “I feel good with them because they’ve given me enough space to resolve all my problems and everything. Good thing is we’re back together … and I’m back here.”
-Eduardo Rodriguez: “My family is the one that really has my blood, which is my kids. My second family is my teammates and everybody here in the organization. Those are the only ones that really have to know what really happened in my life.”
-Eduardo Rodriguez: “A lot of stuff happens in life. This is one of the things that happened to me. It can happen to anybody in the world, not just in baseball. For me, it’s something that I really had to resolve before I got back here.”
-Eduardo Rodriguez said he talked about his situation with his Tiger teammates in a meeting. “They have kids. They have family. They know everything in this situation. I feel good to be back here. As soon as I get in the clubhouse, they all gave me a hug, the ones that I see.”
Nation, what is your take on this situation involving Eduardo Rodriguez?
