LAKELAND, Fla. – He’s a stranger walking in, Francisco Rodriguez said, and when he finally walked into the Tigers clubhouse at Joker Marchant Stadium on Thursday afternoon, he was a week late.
“I’m glad to be here,” the veteran closer said. “It’s been a crazy month.”
That crazy month included a lot of stuff behind the scenes, Rodriguez said, and a visa issue that took time to resolve until finally, on Wednesday, he could travel from his native Venezuela to the United States and then to Tiger Town.
“You want to be here the first day of camp and get things done as quick as possible, but unfortunately, like I said, it’s behind the scenes that made me being late,” he said.