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UPDATED: Brandon Inge is on the mend

Update 6 p.m. -- Brandon Inge is scheduled to play for Class A West Michigan tonight. MLive's Steve Kornacki reported he may have just one game of rehab before rejoining the team.

Leyland said of Inge coming off the DL on Wednesday:

“There’s a chance"

Original:

I thought I heard something about Brandon Inge being back in mid-August when listening to the Tigers on Sunday. I can't remember if it was Dan Dickerson or Fox Sports Detroit that said it. But I was a bit amazed after he fractured a bone in his hand after being hit by a pitch in July.

But now it definitely sounds like that's the case.

Tom Gage reported in the News today that Inge has started taking batting practice and can squeeze his glove without pain.

"I've got some persuading to do," he said Tuesday about how fast he's healing. "Maybe with cigarettes."

That's a light-hearted reference to what it will take to convince manager Jim Leyland that Inge can return substantially before the trainers initially thought.

Inge described the pain as mild aching and it sounds like he'd come off the disabled list on Wednesday -- the day he is eligible -- if the team let him. That is not expected, of course. And let's face it, he's Inge. He could be in pain and try to hide it. Sometimes the team has to protect him from himself.

Update: MLB.com's Jason Beck's take can be found at his blog.

But this is definitely some good news for the Tigers, who really could use some good news.

Now if Inge could just share some of his good fortune with Magglio Ordonez ...