Following his announcement of Nate Robertson's demotion to the bullpen before last night's game, Tigers manager Jim Leyland said he had "no idea" who would take Robertson's turn in the starting rotation. Well, after sleeping on it, he and Dave Dombrowski apparently figured it out pretty quickly.
Chris Lambert will be called up from Triple-A Toledo to pitch Tuesday's game against Cleveland. In 26 starts for the Mud Hens this season, he's posted a 12-8 record and 3.50 ERA, with 124 strikeouts and 48 walks in 149 1/3 innings (including three complete games).
Lambert was a first-round pick in 2004, drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals with the 19th selection. As you might remember, he was the player the Tigers eventually received in return for Mike Maroth last year. There was some question as to whether or not Lambert would ever make a contribution to the major league team. But injuries and underperformance have obviously created an opportunity for him.
Since Lambert was already on Detroit's 40-man roster, the Tigers won't have to make any changes to accommodate this move. Of course, a spot will have to be opened up on the 25-man major league roster before Tuesday's game. Who do you think will get the boot? I'm looking at you, Aquilino Lopez.