Things are getting awfully dysfunctional in Detroit.
First the Tigers fired longtime general manager Dave Dombrowski in the middle of the season, then rumors started circulating that manager Brad Ausmus will be let go as soon as the season ends, and now they’ve sent closer Bruce Rondon home for the remainder of the season due to his “effort level.”
Ausmus declined to give any further details on the situation, but there’s been some recent writing on the wall regarding the team being unhappy with Rondon in general.
Always a hard-thrower with shaky control, the 24-year-old right-hander has blown back-to-back save chances and has a 5.81 ERA with 19 walks in 31 innings overall this season.
At some point the Tigers are simply going to stop waiting around for something to click in Rondon and it’s possible this could be the final straw, although if the rumors are true Ausmus would merely be giving him a two-week head start out the door.
