Detroit Tigers activate Sawyer Gipson-Long from injured list, send him to bullpen
The Tigers activated Gipson-Long from the injured list after he completed his rehab assignment, making him available out of the bullpen Wednesday, Aug. 13, in the series finale against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field.
To open a roster spot, the Tigers optioned right-handed reliever Codi Heuer to Triple-A Toledo.
"It's good to get him back," manager A.J. Hinch said of Gipson-Long's return for Wednesday's game. "We need his pitches. We may or may not use him, but I know he's built up to 60, 75 pitches, something like that."
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Gipson-Long hasn't pitched for the Tigers since June 26 because of neck stiffness that required two separate rehab assignments. In total, the 27-year-old made four rehab starts with Triple-A Toledo before returning to the Tigers.
"The neck was spasms," Gipson-Long said. "It wasn't anything structurally wrong. As I was rehabbing, it didn't feel quite as good as I'd like, so we backed off a little bit, figured some things out and then went back to it."
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In four rehab starts, Gipson-Long posted a 5.17 ERA with four walks and 17 strikeouts across 15⅔ innings. He threw 57 pitches in his most recent start for the Mud Hens.
He owns a 4.70 ERA with the Tigers, spanning 23 innings in five games (two starts). In those innings, he has issued four walks while striking out 18 batters.
This time, Gipson-Long is ready for any role with the Tigers.
"Whatever they need me to do," Gipson-Long said. "If they need to put me in the bullpen, if I need to just eat innings, if I need to start, whatever I got to do to help the team win, I'll do it. I feel comfortable doing whatever."
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Although Gipson-Long was supposed to pitch Wednesday for the Mud Hens in a fifth rehab start, the Tigers activated him to pitch in the majors.
It was a decision made out of necessity.
From the bullpen, only right-handed reliever Rafael Montero didn't pitch in the first two games of the series — not including right-hander Troy Melton, a bulk reliever who took over as the starter for Wednesday's game.
For Gipson-Long, it might not be a long stay with the Tigers.
"When I talked to him, I said, 'Listen, there are a lot of things in play right now, but today, to try to win the series against the White Sox, we need you in the bullpen, potentially for some length,'" Hinch said, explaining his conversation with Gipson-Long. "In saying that, anything can happen, but I think right now, we're not committing to anything other than trying to win today's series."
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
Listen to our weekly Tigers show "Days of Roar" every Monday afternoon on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers' Sawyer Gipson-Long activated from injured list
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