Detroit Tigers: Shane Greene going to bullpen; Buck Farmer to rotation

After Shane Greene‘s latest dreadful outing, allowing five runs on 11 hits in just 4.1 innings of work to drive his ERA up to 6.72 Sunday night against Boston, many expected the Detroit Tigers to send the struggling second year starter a message.

They did, just not what we all expected.

Most Tigers’ fans probably thought Greene was headed for Toledo again to try to once again get right. Instead Detroit announced shortly before Monday’s game in St. Petersburg against the Tampa Bay Rays that he’s being shipped to the bullpen.

Don’t think he will be an innings-chewing long reliever, however, the Tigers hope to get him right on the fly by having him face favorable matchup whenever possible.

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It seems like forever that Greene, a desired piece brought in from the New York Yankees via a three-way trade this off-season for Robbie Ray, was shockingly good. So good, in fact, that one columnist envisioned a Cy Young in his future.

No, really. Click here.

Greene had allowed 13 earned runs in three games before being demoted to Toledo in June and hasn’t been any better since his call-up, allowing 27 runs in his five starts, all but two of those being earned runs.

Replacing Greene in the rotation for the time being is Buck Farmer who hasn’t been much better, allowing 12 runs in 13.2 innings at the Major League level this year. In Toledo he has posted a robust ERA of 4.15 in 16 starts.

If Kyle Lobstein is able to get back anytime soon, he will likely fill this role, but Lobstein has just started throwing in Lakeland after several months off due to a sore shoulder. There is no guarantee he will be back this season.

This move further proves the point that the Tigers need to be sellers this week. They are so thin in the organization at so many areas that this was really the only move they had available to them.

Farmer is slated to start his next game for Detroit this coming weekend in Baltimore.

Next: Tigers slip further in this week's MCB MLB Power Rankings