Detroit Tigers: Michael Lorenzen likely to take Joey Wentz's spot in rotation

Detroit Tigers starter Michael Lorenzen likely to join rotation soon.

In Saturday's beat down from the Boston Red Sox, Joey Wentz went out and toed the slab for his second start of the season. Things did not exactly go as planned, and the Tigers starter struggled to get much going to write home about.

In his first start of the season, there was plenty to like. His stuff and pitch mix helped him navigate a clean outing against the Tampa Bay Rays. He sequenced well and had the cutter working for him, hitting his spots and pitching a stellar game.

It was a much different tune against the Red Sox in his second start of the year. Wentz struggled to command his pitch mix. The misses were all over, not just one spot that he could not execute. While it seemed his strike zone was ever-changing with Chris Guccione behind the dish, it was still a poor job commanding from Wentz.

For the Tigers, the second start was rough for Wentz, and that is okay. He's not expected to be some frontline arm. But his struggles likely mean he will be heading to Toledo, where he'll slot into the Mud Hens rotation.

This off-season, the Detroit Tigers went out and signed Michael Lorenzen. He joined the Tigers as a starting pitcher looking to eat up some innings in the middle of the rotation. A groin injury in Spring Training plagued him, and he was unable to get things going as well as many were hoping.

Lorenzen has begun his rehab assignment and is set to get some work in before making his debut for the Tigers at the big league level. He pitched for Toledo and is set to keep working towards completing his debut. Here's a clip from Lorenzen's rehab outing.

Lorenzen is expected to help with the team's middle of the rotation. With Wentz struggling in his second outing, they may opt to hit the reset the button and try to get him a chance to pitch again in the big leagues in 2023.

For the Tigers, the move is not shocking. There was going to be a spot that needed to be opened up to get Lorenzen back in the rotation. With Lorenzen slated for a return in the nearing future, that likely means that Wentz will be on his way out of the rotation, getting Lorenzen in and underway with his 2023 campaign.

It's an expected move, and Wentz having a rough outing against Boston only furthers this. It's not the end of the road for Wentz either, as he'll likely be back in Detroit at one point or another in 2023.