Tigers pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez’s appearance on the shortlist is tied to a marital issue, sources say, and there’s no timeline yet for his return.
Rodriguez seemed ready to return to the mound after a rib injury when the marital issue arose, and the team granted his request to take the time to deal with the private matter. The team hasn’t said anything publicly about Rodriguez’s absence beyond that it was related to a “personal matter”. It has been learned that personal affairs are connected with marriage.
Rodriguez, 29, will not be paid while on the shortlist. He was expected to earn $14 million this season on his new five-year, $77 million free agent deal. He would lose around $400,000 per missed start.
The Tigers would like to get him back as soon as possible, but it’s believed they don’t know when he could return. Rodriguez is 1-3 with a 4.38 ERA in eight starts in his first season in Detroit after seven years with the Red Sox.
The Al Avila Tigers general manager declined to comment. Rodriguez’s agent, Gene Mato, also declined to discuss the matter.