Tigers activate RHP Alex Wilson, option Buck Farmer to Triple-A Toledo

Following Friday night's 1-0 loss to the Houston Astros, the Detroit Tigers announced that they will activate right-handed reliever Alex Wilson off of the 15-day disabled list. To make room for Wilson, the Tigers will option righty Buck Farmer to Triple-A Toledo.

Wilson missed most of spring training with a shoulder injury, though the strain was different from the biceps injury that plagued him towards the end of 2015. Originally expected to only miss a few days, Wilson ended up spending the entire spring rehabbing his injury. He did not appear in a Grapefruit League game for the Tigers, and has only made four rehab appearances in the minor leagues, totaling 5 1/3 innings.

Wilson established himself as one of the Tigers' best relievers in 2015, holding opponents to a 2.19 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in 70 innings. He posted a solid 3.45 strikeout-to-walk ratio, though his ERA was over a full run lower than his 3.53 FIP. Wilson accumulated 1.7 rWAR, the third-highest total among Tigers pitchers last season, including starters. He was originally expected to slot in front of setup men Justin Wilson and Mark Lowe in the Tigers' revamped bullpen before his spring setback.

Farmer looked sharp in his relief appearance on Friday, setting the Astros down in order in two innings, including three strikeouts. He now has a solid 3.38 ERA on the season, with eight strikeouts to two walks in 5 1/3 innings. Farmer was the lone Tigers reliever to appear in Friday's game, giving the rest of the pen a much-needed night off.

Many believed that righthander Logan Kensing would be the first pitcher removed from the 25-man roster when Wilson was ready to come off the disabled list, but this move makes sense for the Tigers. Farmer still has two option years remaining, while Kensing would have needed to pass through waivers. Farmer's recent outing also would have left him out of commission on Saturday, if not for the entire weekend.

Also, the club announced that Farmer would stretch out to a starter's workload while down in the minor leagues. While this likely has little impact at the major league level -- Daniel Norris, Matt Boyd, and Michael Fulmer are all ahead of him in the rotation pecking order, it would seem -- it gives Farmer more valuable innings to work on his command and secondary pitches.