Tigers setup man Bruce Rondon was supposed to make an appearance in Wednesday’s Cactus League game against the Padres, but he woke up with a sore shoulder and couldn’t shake the discomfort during pregame stretching. Rondon headed back to the Tigers’ spring training complex in Lakeland, Florida for treatment. There’s no MRI planned at this time, but Tigers manager Brad Ausmus acknowledged to MLB.com’s Jason Beck that the hard-throwing right-hander may not be ready for Opening Day.
“If he can’t pitch, obviously it’s a lot tougher to be on the team,” Ausmus said. “In that sense, it’s a big concern.”
Rondon has not pitched on back-to-back days this spring.
A neck injury threw a separate wrench in his schedule earlier this month.