Detroit Tigers catcher Jake Rogers went through his normal pregame routine ahead of Monday’s series opener against the Texas Rangers.
He reported his “arm was bugging him,” manager AJ Hinch said after his team’s 14-0 win at Comerica Park. By the time batting practice began, athletic trainer Doug Teter informed Hinch that his starting catcher needed to be scratched from the lineup.
Less than 30 minutes later, Rogers was placed on the 10-day injured list with right arm soreness. The medical tests revealed a pronator teres strain, which means he has a forearm injury near his elbow. Hinch doesn’t expect the 26-year-old to return for two or three weeks.
“We hope it’s going to be resolved in the next couple of weeks,” Hinch said. “He’s going to have a rest period here. … Once we knew Jake was going to be down for a minimum five-to-seven days, we made the decision to put him on the injured list.
“During the game, we got the update that it’s probably going to be a few weeks but hopefully not major. We’ll see how the treatment helps.”
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Through 38 games, Rogers is hitting .239 with five doubles, three triples, six home runs, 17 RBIs, 11 walks and 46 strikeouts. He has provided an immense upgrade at the catcher position, helping guide the trio of young pitchers — Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal and Matt Manning — through their rookie seasons.
Over 310⅔ innings behind the plate, Rogers boasts a .997 fielding percentage, one error and three passed balls. The 26-year-old has caught eight of 14 runners trying to steal bases against him, a 57% caught stealing rate.
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To replace Rogers, the Tigers called up catcher Grayson Greiner from Triple-A Toledo. He arrived to Comerica Park around the second inning and greeted his teammates with high-fives and hugs in the dugout.
“When we scratched (Rogers), we had to hurry up and find Greiner on (Toledo’s) off day,” Hinch said. “Very fortunate that they were in Toledo as a team and also fortunate to have Grayson live nearby here in Detroit, kind of commuting back and forth. It was a race to get him here.”
Greiner pinch-hit for Miguel Cabrera in the seven inning Monday, after Cabrera went 2-for-4 with five RBIs. Greiner struck out swinging in a seven-patch at-bat against Rangers reliever Joely Rodriguez and finished the game as the catcher.
The 28-year-old started the season on the team’s active roster, alongside former Tigers catcher Wilson Ramos, coming out of spring training. He hit .237 with one home run, five RBIs, one walk and 16 strikeouts in 14 games before a left hamstring strain sent him to the 10-day injured list on May 12.
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By the time Greiner was healthy enough to return, the Tigers were pleased with the production from Rogers and fellow catcher Eric Haase. Greiner was optioned June 18 to Toledo.
Infielder Isaac Paredes, who left Monday’s game, is day-to-day with hip soreness.
Evan Petzold is a sports reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold. Read more on the Detroit Tigers and sign up for our Tigers newsletter.