I'm listening to the Stoney and Wojo show on WDFN, and sports director Matt Dery interrupted the broadcast at 4:50 EDT with some breaking Tigers news.
Dontrele Willis will be recalled from Toledo, the Tigers have deemed him ready. When he's activated today or tomorrow, it won't be as part of the rotation. Armando Galarraga will not be moved from his starting spot, and Willis will go to the bullpen.
I'm stunned, to say the very least. I honestly thought in no way Willis would accept coming out of the pen, or the Tigers would even consider it.
I'll update this post with linkage as I find out more.
Update 5:05 PM: From Jason Beck's blog at MLB.com
The main reason, Leyland suggested, was to try to get Willis right. He'll pick his spots on using Willis to get him some innings. "We just want to keep him working and get some fine-tuning in," Leyland said.
There you have it. The Tigers obviously believe Willis has yet to fully re-discover his control. The D-Train will continue to work out his issues from the bullpen, $9 million a year contract or not.
I still have to say I'm surprised. This makes Willis the highest paid mop-up man in baseball.