Tigers pitcher mysteriously suspended as Detroit's bullpen continues to unravel

Enmanuel De Jesus looked like he could be a legitimate reclamation project for the Tigers coming out of spring training and the World Baseball Classic.

He'd spent a couple decent seasons in the KBO and had to settle for a minor league contract upon his return to MLB, but he dominated in the Grapefruit League and set the record for most strikeouts in a WBC game for Team Venezuela, which earned him a spot on Detroit's Opening Day roster.

It hasn't quite worked out the way the Tigers would've hoped. He was optioned by the end of April but has since come back to the majors for two stints, sometimes decent but mostly inconsistent. He was last optioned on Aug. 23.

It could've been argued that De Jesus would've been a better option as a September call-up than Yilber Díaz, who has given up three runs in two innings since was promoted, but eagle-eyed Tigers fans noticed a wrinkle in Detroit's transactions log. De Jesus was suspended on Sept. 1, making him ineligible to be called up when rosters expanded.

Enmanuel De Jesus suspended for unknown reasons by Tigers

The transactions log also reveals that he was reactivated just a day later and pitched the same day, but he's no longer listed on the Mud Hens' active roster. The team has not formally addressed either the suspension nor De Jesus' current status.

This makes Díaz's promotion much more understandable — even though it's also sort of an indictment on the Tigers' pitching depth. De Jesus, though disappointing after wowing fans in spring training, is a known quantity. Díaz was a June waiver claim for the Diamondbacks who left Arizona with a 94.50 ERA after giving up seven runs in a 2/3-inning outing.

The Tigers could still replace Díaz with De Jesus at any point in September, but whatever was behind his suspension might be giving them some pause.

It's a shame, because the bullpen probably could've used him at the turn of the month. Although the Tigers' outlook on the rest of the season was bleak going into their series against the Guardians, the bullpen was responsible for back-to-back blown leads during their doubleheader on Friday.

De Jesus hasn't exactly been lights-out in the majors, but he's had some decent outings and would've been a safer bet than most of the arms in the bullpen right now.

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