Just as the Detroit Tigers are beginning to play up to expectations, more good news could be on the way. After a relatively pain-free batting practice session on Tuesday, Curtis Granderson appears ready to begin a rehabilitation assignment to regain his timing at the plate. If he gets through batting practice again today without pain (just tell yourself "pain don't hurt," like Dalton in Road House, Curtis), Granderson could join the West Michigan Whitecaps to get ready for a big league return. (Why the Single-A Whitecaps? The Triple-A Mud Hens will be on the road.) And if all goes smoothly, Granderson could take the field for the Tigers on Monday.
In other recovery news, Fernando Rodney got an increasingly rare bit of good news yesterday when Dr. James Andrews told him that surgery on his aching shoulder wouldn't be necessary. Andrews didn't even want to perform an exploratory procedure, once he determined there was no structural damage. Rodney was given a cortisone shot in his right shoulder and was told he could start throwing again in three to five days. If he's still feeling pain by then, who knows what the next course of action might be?