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Anibal Sanchez to miss next start; Jose Alvarez to be called up

Alvarez has a 5:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio and will be making his MLB debut.

USA TODAY Sports

With concerns over Anibal Sanchez's growing fatigue, the Detroit Tigers have made the decision to skip the right-hander's start Sunday. Triple-A Toledo left-hander Jose Alvarez will instead get the nod.

Octavio Dotel is being transferred to the 60-day disabled list to make room for Alvarez on the 40-man roster, but no corresponding moves have yet to be announced with the active roster.

Tigers head athletic trainer Kevin Rand told reporters (including MLB.com's Jason Beck) Sanchez suffered from fatigue much quicker in his latest start and did not recover as well. Sanchez reportedly had the same issue with Miami, and a skipped start generally got him back on track. Sanchez said the issue is more in his upper back than his shoulder and confirmed that the added rest worked last year, Beck reports.

A 5'11, 180-pound 24-year-old from Venezuela, Alvarez is in his first year in the Tigers organization after being with the Red Sox and Marlins earlier in his eight-season career. Toledo is his first stop at the Triple-A level, but Alvarez has a 2.42 ERA in 74 innings, with 9.2 strikeouts and 1.8 walks per nine innings there. That 5:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio certainly bodes well for Alvarez, who'll be making his MLB debut.