Delmon Young Replaces Ordonez on ALCS Roster

The Detroit Tigers added Delmon Young to the roster for the ALCS, replacing the injured Magglio Ordonez. Young wasn’t included originally due to an oblique strain that caused him to leave Detroit’s 3-2 Gamer Five win over New York in the ALDS on Thursday.

Ordonez, who re-broke his ankle during batting practice on Saturday, played the first four innings of the contest in Texas before being replaced by pinch-runner Don Kelly during the second rain delay in the fourth inning. He is out for the rest of the year.

Young’s addition to the roster doesn’t necessarily mean he is healthy enough to play. It could be that Young has been added simply to act as a placeholder for the next few games with an eye on being ready later in the series. Obliques injuries can cause players to miss several weeks, while other times a player can return in a matter of days. The Tigers are certainly hoping for the latter here, but just the fact that three days ago the club had decided to leave him off the roster doesn’t exactly inspire confidence that young will be healthy enough to go soon.

We’ll know more when Jim Leyland addresses the media this afternoon. For now, Danny Knobler is reporting the situation as “day-to-day” with Young.