The injury bug bites Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Doug Fister...again.
Jim Leyland confirmed this morning the lingering groin injury (in non-layman's terms, a mild-to-moderate adductor strain) which cropped up in Fister's last start would cause him to miss his next turn in the rotation.
The Tigers have already announced rookie left-hander Drew Smyly will be called up from Toledo and will start in Fister's stead against the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday night. The shuffling of the roster doesn't need to be made official until the end of Friday night's game, so no corresponding personnel moves have been announced.
Fister's groin tightened during warmups for his last start, a 7-5 loss to the Baltimore Orioles. Despite his claims the groin issue didn't affect his mechanics, Fister was far from his usual self, allowing 7 runs in 3 2/3 innings.
This would be the third time Fister has been derailed by injury this season. He was placed on the disabled list twice, in early April and late May, due to a lingering side strain, missing most of the the 1st half.
Overall, Fister is 7-8 with a 3.67 ERA. But his 2nd half has been marvelous, posting a 5-2 record with 2.53 ERA. In his 15 major league starts, Smyly is 4-3 with a 4.42 ERA. His last appearance with the Tigers may have been his best. He beat the Kansas City Royals 4-2 on July 6th, tossing 6 strong innings, allowing just 2 runs and striking out a career high 10.
Smyly's last start for the Mud Hens was August 20th, pitching only 1 inning due to being ejected for throwing at former Tiger Will Rhymes. Smyly received a 5 game suspension from the International League for his actions.