Leonard Elmore
In a bit of unwelcome news from spring training, Detroit Tigers starter Michael Fulmer has been bitten by the injury bug.
Michael Fulmer rolled his right ankle during agility drills, will miss next start, now unlikely to pitch in WBC.
— Evan Woodbery (@evanwoodbery) March 5, 2017
Brad Ausmus told Chris McCosky of the Detroit News that the injury is minor.
“He rolled his ankle during agilities yesterday and he’s going to miss a start,” Ausmus said. “We don’t expect it to be more than one start.”
Fulmer played extremely well for the Tigers last season and was named AL Rookie of the Year. His excellent season came at a cost, however, as 2016 was a career high innings pitched for the young right-hander. After an offseason of working for a plumbing company (yes…really), the Detroit coaching staff was employing a measured timeline in preparing Fulmer for this season.
The injury will not only impact his preparation for the MLB season, but, also the World Baseball Championship. Fulmer was to take part in the event with Team USA.
“It probably affects his ability to pitch for the USA team in the WBC,” Ausmus said. “Just from a pitch-count perspective, he won’t be up enough.”
It’s going to be important for Fulmer to get back to full strength and stay there. He will be a key member of the Tigers starting rotation this season.
