Keith placed on 10-day IL with right rib cage inflammation

DETROIT -- The Tigers’ only lead of their three-game series sweep at the hands of the Guardians came on Colt Keith’s second-inning RBI double Thursday afternoon at Comerica Park, but it came at a price. Keith left the game after grabbing at his lower back on his way home when Parker Meadows lined out to shortstop to end the inning.

On Friday, Keith was placed on the 10-day injured list after tests and evaluation from doctors revealed right rib cage inflammation. Infielder Jace Jung was recalled from Triple-A Toledo to fill the spot.

“I felt it on the swing originally, and then it really started hurting me when I was running after that,” Keith said Saturday. “Just something in the rib cage, felt like a pinch or something, and then the rest of the day I was very stiff. Since then we've been working on getting the inflammation down. …

“With how I was feeling that same day, I felt for sure that it was going to be a bad strain of my oblique or something like that. It's just an intercostal thing, which is a best-case scenario for me. That still leaves time on the table for me to come back for playoffs.”

The move will keep Keith out for the remainder of the regular season. He will be eligible to return for the start of postseason play, though it is unclear whether he might be ready in time for that. Keith said Saturday they should have a better idea once the inflammation subsides and he can try swinging, running and throwing again.

“It was a matter of where we are in the calendar and how possible it was for us to play short,” Hinch said. “It’s really hard to play some important games like this with less than a full roster, and there’s no guarantee that he was going to be able to bounce back this weekend.

"In fact, he’s having a harder time today than we had hoped just moving around. He can function, but if he’s not going to be able to help us off the bench this weekend, that’s a rough roster spot to have it be empty.”

It’s a potentially big loss for the Tigers, who need all the help they can get for the home stretch as they try to wrap up what would be their first AL Central title since 2014. Keith had hit safely in seven of his past nine games, batting 7-for-24 with a home run and four RBIs during that stretch. He had also taken over primary duties at third, allowing Zach McKinstry to get more playing time at short.

“I was feeling good at the plate finally after I was struggling for a while,” Keith said. “I just really want to be out there and help the team in this stretch.”

Jung hit .391 (18-for-46) in 12 September games for the Mud Hens with six doubles, three homers and 18 RBIs. His promotion over Hao-Yu Lee (ranked as Detroit's No. 6 prospect by MLB Pipeline) preserves Detroit’s lefty-righty balance offensively while bringing in someone with MLB experience, including in the postseason last year. Jung struggled in an early-season stint with the Tigers, batting 5-for-45 with seven walks and 15 strikeouts, but he underwent swing adjustments this summer in Toledo in an effort to allow him to make more consistent quality contact.