Detroit — Nobody really expected Eduardo Rodriguez to step up to the podium Friday and bare his soul. He wasn’t likely to, nor was he obligated to, share the details of the marital strife that led him to leave the team for two-plus months.
But he did owe his teammates that. And that was the first thing he did Friday after he was reinstated off the restricted list.
“A lot of stuff happens in life,” Rodriguez said. “And this is one of the things that happened to me. It could happen to anybody in the world, not just in baseball. It was something I had to resolve before coming back.”
Manager AJ Hinch and assistant general manager Sam Menzin were in the interview room as Rodriguez addressed the media for the first time since he left the team in early June.
“This is a reminder to all of us that these guys are human,” Hinch said. “They are people. They have the same life experiences as any one in any job. And you can have two emotions at the same time.
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“You can be very emotional and supportive in what he had to go through. And you can also be frustrated that we haven’t had one of our best pitchers. That’s OK. And I told our guys that.”
Hinch gave Rodriguez the option of addressing the team or not. He adamantly chose to address the team.
“I’ve already talked to the guys in there and gave an explanation of everything that happened and what I’ve gone through all this time,” Rodriguez said. “But I’m happy to be back here and I’m ready to help us win a few games and get ready for next year.”
He was asked how much he wanted to share publicly.
“My family are the ones who have my blood, which is my kids,” he said. “My second family is all my teammates and everybody here in the organization. Those are the ones that have to know what happened in my life because I am with them every day.
“I just want to keep it the way it is. Keep it with them and with my family back in Miami.”
By all accounts, Rodriguez was welcomed back enthusiastically by his teammates.
“It’s a difficult situation for him and for everybody,” Hinch said. “And it’s personal. He did an incredible job or re-entering our team. But with anything in life, actions are going to back that up. This is a life experience he’s going through and it is tough.
“He’s very vulnerable, standing in front of those guys and saying the things he said that are private. It’s tough and I applaud him for having the perspective to do that. We are glad to have him back.”
Rodriguez was asked about not having any contact with the team for the first month or so after leaving.
“I feel good with (the organization) because I feel they gave me enough space to solve all my problems,” he said. “I was just thinking of my family all of the time. Now I have solved those problems and I’m back here.”
Although both Hinch and former general manager Al Avila, who signed Rodriguez this offseason to a five-year, $77 million contract, were frustrated with the lack of communication, they understood he needed the space.
“He went into personal mode and he chose not to interact a lot while he was sorting through what he was doing,” Hinch said. “On one front, I can respect that entirely. He’s going through something with his family and his kids mean the world to him.
“On the other side, I still respect him for doing it. But we needed to know what the game plan was. Once we got to a point of contact, he’s been incredible.”
Rodriguez made three rehab starts and will start on Sunday, opposite the Angels and Shohei Ohtani. There isn’t expected to be any restrictions.
“It was difficult to step away from what I’ve been through my whole career, my teammates and everything,” Rodriguez said. “But for me, family is always first. My second family is my teammates and this organization. They’ve given me the opportunity to be here and I am back here now with my second family.
“Mentally, physically, I feel good to be back here.”
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Hinch said Rodriguez will likely get nine starts, possibly 10, before the end of the season.
“We’ve missed him, we’ve missed his production on the field,” Hinch said. “That’s why we signed him. But like I said, it’s OK to have multiple emotions. There is no way we don’t feel bad for him and there is no way we don’t feel bad for ourselves missing out on a good pitcher for so long.”
chris.mccosky@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @cmccosky