Detroit Tigers place Jordan Zimmermann on 10-day IL

The Detroit Tigers have had to deal with numerous injuries to their starting rotation this season and now must place another starter back on the IL.

On Monday afternoon, the Detroit Tigers announced that starting pitcher Jordan Zimmermann is being placed on the 10-day IL with a right cervical spasm. This is the righty’s second IL stint of the season, as Zimmermann missed all of May and more than half of June with an elbow injury.

This news does come, however, at the same time as fellow Detroit Tigers starter Spencer Turnbull returning from injury. Turnbull has been out since July 18th with a back injury but is scheduled to return on Monday night taking the mound for Detroit against the White Sox.

For Zimmermann, 2019 has been far from an ideal year. The veteran right-hander is on pace for the worst season of his 11-year MLB career, with a 1-8 record and 7.13 ERA through 15 starts this year.

In fact, Zimmermann’s first win of the season came a week ago when he was the starter for the Tigers in a 7-2 victory over the Angels in Anaheim. Zimmermann earned the winning decision after surrendering two earned runs on four hits in just over five innings. Following up his first win, Zimmermann received a no-decision for giving up four runs on six hits in Detroit’s 9-4 loss to the Texas Rangers on Sunday afternoon.

In a corresponding move, the Tigers recalled righty reliever Eduardo Jiménez from Toledo to the major leagues prior to Monday night’s series opener against Chicago. The 24-year-old has a 7.71 ERA and four strikeouts in 7.0 IP in the big leagues for Detroit this season.

With Zimmermann headed back to the IL, the Detroit Tigers continue to face obstacles and uncertainty regarding putting together a solid starting rotation. Turnbull’s return looked like a glimmer of positivity, but losing Zimmermann means the loss of another arm, regardless of the subpar season he has been experiencing.