DETROIT -- Just when the Tigers’ injury-plagued pitching staff receives good news, another injury pops up. With Ty Madden, the injury doesn’t seem as bad as initially feared, but was still bad enough to force him onto the injured list.
The Tigers placed him on the 15-day IL on Sunday, two days after a hard line drive hit Madden on his right forearm and forced him out of Detroit’s series opener against Toronto.
The move opened a roster spot for reliever Will Vest to return from the 15-day IL. He had been sidelined with right lateral forearm inflammation.
Initial tests on Madden indicated no fracture, manager A.J. Hinch said, and the sight of him in the celebration line after Spencer Torkelson’s walk-off single was an encouraging sign beyond the Tigers’ 3-2 victory. But Madden was limited in subsequent throwing sessions, placing his readiness for next Wednesday against the Guardians in doubt.
“The swelling’s still not out of there,” Hinch said. “He can play catch, which is encouraging. We’ll be able to keep doing that, but he can’t make the start on Wednesday, or even the bulk role in that regard. We gave ourselves as much time as we possibly could, and with Will coming back, it became a decision point.”
Madden, making his third appearance of the season in place of injured Casey Mize, entered in the second inning for what was supposed to be a bulk relief outing. He retired George Springer to strand two runners in the second inning, but Blue Jays rookie Yohendrick Piñango led off the third inning by sending a line drive back up the middle with a 107.9-mph exit velocity. Madden tried to react but had virtually no time before the ball came in on his right forearm.
“Oh gosh, that was scary,” Torkelson said. “Anytime you see a comebacker like that, you lose your breath for a second. Fortunately, I guess it got him in a meatier spot, I think. It could’ve been a lot worse.”
Madden not only stayed on his feet, but gathered the ball. He did not throw it as Piñango dashed down the line to first. Hinch and the Tigers’ athletic training staff came to the mound, and Madden left the game without attempting a warm-up pitch.
“I didn’t know where it hit him when I got out there,” Hinch said. “You could see him having a hard time with his arm. [Assistant athletic trainer] Kelly [Rhoades] did the test to see if you could immediately see if there was a fracture. We didn’t find anything on the field, and then you could see it start to swell up literally while we were standing there.”
It’s a tough break not only for the Tigers but for Madden, who missed all of last season with a right shoulder strain. His return was one of the bright spots of Spring Training, and he earned a callup to Detroit after six appearances at Triple-A Toledo.