DETROIT – It would be wrong to call this chaos. Last year was pitching chaos. What the Tigers have been doing recently is clever and calculated and tailored specifically toward the next opponent or next series of opponents.
It’s a legal method of roster expansion, using their depth to rotate pitchers at the back end of the bullpen to facilitate matchup advantages against upcoming opponents.
To that end, the Tigers Friday selected the contract of left-handed reliever Drew Sommers from Triple-A Toledo and optioned right-hander Alex Lange back to Toledo. Lange had been added to the bullpen mix ahead of a series against a predominantly right-handed hitting Houston Astros lineup.
“We’ve identified this series, and then Sacramento (the Athletics) and we play the Royals again,” manager AJ Hinc