Eduardo Rodriguez has been away from the Tigers for almost a month, as the club placed the starter on the restricted list on 13 June. Detroit announced at the time that it was dealing with personal matters, which Jon Heyman of the New York Post later reported. a marital concern. There was no schedule for his return at the time, and he looks set to be in the air when he returns to the club.
Speaking to reporters this afternoon, Detroit CEO Al Avila has stated that the team has not heard from Rodriguez recently (link via Athletic’s Cody Stavenhagen). “We got our hands on it, but obviously it hasn’t come back to us. We’re just waiting for it,” Avila said. “It’s unusual, but we have no choice but to wait for it right now and see how it develops as we move forward.”
Manager AJ Hinch offered a similar report last week. “From what I know, there has been no movement or communication,” Hinch said at the time. “We know he’s safe, we know he’s home with his kids, we know he’s back in Florida, but he’s been pretty quiet.”
As part of an aggressive low season, the Tigers added Rodriguez with a five-year, $ 77 million free agent contract last November. The deal also offers the left-hander the opportunity to unsubscribe after the 2023 campaign. He made eight starts during the first months of the season, working with a 4.38 ERA in 39 innings. Rodriguez landed on the injured list on May 22 with a chest strain; he had been on a minor league rehabilitation task recovering from injury when he left the club.
Players on the restricted list do not charge, so Rodriguez loses his salary for any time he spends away from the team. Avila refused to answer when asked if the Tigers would study the possibility of trying to terminate his contract altogether. “Right now I’m not going to get into that. Obviously, this is a situation, it’s a private situation right now on your part. I’m not going to get into that.”