Duane

Below

Henning has Below in the driver’s seat, followed by Adam Wilk, Jacob Turner and Drew Smyly. He’s simply basing it on age, though, as Below is the elder statesman of the group at 26. We’re doubtful that’s the main criteria Detroit will use, and Below might have the least amount of upside of anyone in the group. Turner, who most assumed was the front-runner for job, is certainly the most talented, but he’s just 20 and the Tigers could choose to give him some more seasoning.

With a 5.17 ERA and a 9/10 K/BB ratio in 15 2/3 innings, Below hasn’t capitalized on his chance to claim the opening in Detroit’s rotation. He might get it anyway, but it would be by default.

Fister threw around 50 pitches in a bullpen session Thursday without discomfort. He’s on track to rejoin the Tigers’ rotation in early May, but Duane Below will fill his spot in the rotation for now.

The game will be made up on September 24, which had been a scheduled off day for both clubs. Luke Hochevar will be pushed back a day to start Tuesday, but the Tigers will just skip over Duane Below, who was going to make a spot start. Doug Fister should be ready by the time Detroit needs a fifth starter.

Below will replace the injured Luis Marte in the Tigers’ bullpen, serving as a long reliever. Below lost out on Detroit’s fifth-starter job to Drew Smyly, but he’ll be a member of the Opening Day roster nonetheless.

It had been trending in that direction. Smyly has pitched much better than Below this spring, boasting a 2.84 ERA and 10 strikeouts over 12 2/3 innings. The 2010 second-round pick has just one professional season under his belt and has just eight appearances above A-ball, but his numbers from last year were impressive, as he posted a 2.07 ERA and 130/36 K/BB ratio over 126 innings. He doesn’t have a super high ceiling but could churn out some AL-only value. Smyly will make one start in the minors before officially joining the rotation.

Below had a horrible spring, losing out to Drew Smyly for the final spot in the rotation. He’ll serve as depth at Triple-A. Villarreal was terrific in camp, posting a 1.59 ERA over nine appearances, but it wasn’t enough to earn an Opening Day roster spot.

He’ll take the place of Doug Fister (costochondral strain) in the rotation while Duane Below will remain in the bullpen. Wilk, 24, posted a 3.24 ERA and 76/14 K/BB ratio over 102 innings at the Triple-A level last season, but doesn’t profile as more than a back-end starter in the long-term.

Below looked impressive in the first half of Saturday’s doubleheader against the Rangers, allowing only four singles across six scoreless innings. “Because he’s done good in the bullpen, everybody wants to know if I’m going to start him right now,” said Leyland. “And the answer to that is no -- emphatically no right now.”

Below was yanked after throwing 38 out of 63 pitches for strikes. He’s still in the mix for the fifth starter job, but Andy Oliver and Drew Smyly have emerged as the favorites now that now that Jacob Turner has been shut down due to a dead arm.