It sure seems like lefty Eduardo Rodriguez went AWOL on the Detroit Tigers. According to the Tigers’ general manager Al Avila, Rodriguez hasn’t communicated with the team since landing on the restricted list on June 13 and the organization doesn’t know when he might be back.
While the Tiger expected Rodriguez to be on a prolonged absence due to a “personal matter,” they believed the 29-year-old to keep them in the loop about his situation. And that hasn’t happened so far.
“We’ve reached out, but obviously, he hasn’t reached out back, so we’re just kind of waiting it out,” Avila told reporters on Wednesday. “It is unusual, but we have no choice but to wait it out right now and see what develops as we move forward.”
Rodriguez joined the Tigers on a five-year, $77 million contract ahead of the 2022 MLB season. He was named the Opening Day starter and went on to play eight games before being sidelined by a rib cage injury in mid-May. The veteran is 1-3 for the season with a 4.38 ERA and 34 strikeouts.
Tigers manager AJ Hinch previously told the reporters that they want to help Rodriguez but can’t do much as the player is keeping the organization in the dark.
“We can’t really make any considerations until we know exactly what’s at hand,” said Hinch. “We’ll wait for him to open up when he wants.”
Prior to coming to Detroit, Rodriguez played six years with the Boston Red Sox. He posted a 64-39 record in Boston while helping the franchise win World Series in 2018.
