Tigers activate Jake Rogers off IL; Tomas Nido designated for assignment
St. Louis, Mo. — The text came in Monday night.
“What a treat.”
Tarik Skubal had his catcher back.
Jack Rogers, who had missed 38 games with an oblique strain, was activated off the injured list before the game Tuesday and was behind the plate catching Skubal for the 55th time in their careers.
“It feels good,” Rogers said before the game. “I’ve been missing the boys and missing the game. It felt great to get back into it last week in Toledo and it feels really good to be here.”
Rogers, who sustained the injury swinging in the cage before his start on April 8, caught nine innings for the Mud Hens on Sunday and participated in a five-inning simulated game with Casey Mize Monday at Comerica Park.
“He did everything he needed to do to get back today,” manager AJ Hinch said. “We wanted him back as soon as he felt he was good and ready to go. Once he completed a full game Sunday, we targeted the back end of this series.”
More: Talking pitching with an ace: Tigers' Tarik Skubal on the duality of his elite heater
Veteran Tomas Nido, who hit .343 (12 for 35) in 10 games while Rogers was out, was designated for assignment.
“Tomas did a great job for us,” Hinch said. “When we signed him, we told him that he was going to fight his way onto this team in some capacity, whether it was us carrying three catchers or in case of an injury. And when he got up here, he contributed to wins.”
The Tigers would like to re-sign Nido back to Toledo but he would have to clear waivers first.
“I love the guy,” Hinch said. “Love the teammate and love what he did for us. He now enters the unknown, whether he’s going to be back with us or if he gets another opportunity somewhere else. Selfishly, I hope that we can find a way to keep him, just because he’s part of everything and he knows our pitching staff.
“But we’re at the mercy of the league now.”
The Tigers were 23-13 while Rogers was out. Dillon Dingler stepped into the primary catcher role and was rock solid at the plate and behind the plate.
"The whole team is playing well," Rogers said. "Tip your cap to Ding. He's playing incredible baseball, calling a good game, catching it well; anything you want in a catcher, he's done it. And tip your cap to Tomas, too. He's a vet, been around. He knows how to take care of himself and he did really well.
"Much respect to both of those guys. Hopefully I can get it going and keep winning some ballgames."
Hinch was asked on Monday how he thought the playing time might be split up behind the plate.
“I would expect both guys to play in every series,” he said. “I don’t think we have to obsess over what the breakdown is. The better guy that day is the guy we’re going to go with. It’s a good healthy thing to have multiple guys at that position.”
Meadows on rehab
Center fielder Parker Meadows, out since early spring with a nerve issue in his right arm, was scheduled to begin his rehab assignment at Toledo Tuesday night, in the lineup as the designated hitter.
“Just building his confidence has been key,” Hinch said. “He threw (from the outfield) in Toronto and he hit off Casey (Mize) on Monday and got a handful of at-bats. The next ramp-up is the games.”
Meadows gradually increased the intensity and distance of his throwing. In Toronto, he was fielding balls hit by coach George Lombard and throwing to bases.
“The confidence is throwing from the outfield is by far the biggest step for him,” Hinch said. “His legs are in shape and he’s been swinging (the bat) for a long time. Game action is what he’s lacked. It’s good to get him on the field and into some game action.
“He’s going to start to feel normal again.”
Around the horn
… Right-hander Alex Cobb’s progress toward a rehab assignment has hit another bump. His arm is ready but his right hip isn’t cooperating. He is scheduled to undergo another series of injections in his hip to relieve the inflammation. He will continue to play catch daily.
… Starting pitcher Reese Olson got multiple opinions and was diagnosed with mild inflammation in his ring finger. He will be re-evaluated later this week to determine if he can resume throwing.
… Outfielder Wenceel Perez (back) and infielder/outfielder Matt Vierling (shoulder) are continuing their rehab assignments in Toledo.
Chris.McCosky@detroitnews.com
@cmccosky
Tigers at Cardinals, Busch Stadium
Tigers at Cardinals
First pitch: 1:15 p.m., Wednesday, Busch Stadium, St. Louis
TV/radio: FDSD/97.1
Scouting report
TBA, Tigers: With Reese Olson (finger) placed on the injured list, the Tigers shuffled their rotation, moving Jack Flaherty, initially scheduled to start this game, to Thursday to start the first game of the series against Cleveland at Comerica Park. That will make this one a straight bullpen game, not an opener-bulk reliever game. Manager AJ Hinch will use as many relievers as he needs to cover these nine innings.
RHP Andre Pallante (4-2, 4.11), Cardinals: He’s been pounding the strike zone in his last two starts to good effect. He’s gone 7-plus innings in both, allowed 4 runs with 11 strikeouts and no walks. He throws his 94 mph four-seamer nearly 50% of the time and collects a lot of ground balls (64.8%). His slider is holding hitters to a .178 average with a 31.5% whiff rate.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Tigers activate Jake Rogers off IL; Tomas Nido designated for assignment
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