Rondon, Coke both cleared to pitch

MINNEAPOLIS -- Bruce Rondon gave a thumbs up when asked on Monday how his arm feels, and that seemed to be a good sign for his potential return to work in the bullpen on Tuesday.

Fellow reliever Phil Coke, sidelined since Thursday with soreness in his forearm flexor, sounded optimistic about his progress after throwing off the bullpen mound at Target Field on Monday afternoon.

"It felt a little tight, but it went well," Coke said.

Both hurlers were cleared to pitch following Monday's 4-3 loss to the Twins, and both will be available out of the bullpen on Tuesday.

The return of Rondon gives the Tigers a big piece in their bullpen. The hard-throwing rookie had become a valuable presence in the seventh and eighth innings before coming down with tenderness in his right elbow following a Sept. 2 outing in Boston in which he hit 102 mph.