In Tigers news tonight, the Detroit Tigers may start to see benefits from trading Doug Fister to the Washington Nationals right away, with one of the major pieces they received in return perhaps landing in the starting rotation to replace the injured Anibal Sanchez.
So posits Chris Iott of MLive.com: "Who will replace Anibal Sanchez in the rotation while he spends time on the disabled list with a right middle finger laceration? The top candidate appears to be the young pitching prospect the Tigers obtained in the offseason in the trade that sent Doug Fister to the Washington Nationals."
Ray has been stellar for the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens so far, going 2-2 with a 1.93 in four starts. He also as a very solid 1.07 WHIP in those four outings.
When asked by MLive.com whether Ray was the favorite to replace Sanchez in the rotation, Detroit Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski answered in cryptic fashion via email: "He has pitched well so far this season for us," wrote Dombrowski.
We will see if the raw skill Ray has put on display in his short time with the Tigers' organization so far is enough to land him a spot on the Major League roster sooner rather than later.