Tigers Bullpen Will Take Shape As Spring Training Begins
By Ashley Scoby
@AshleyScoby
Official spring training workouts aren't set to begin until Friday, but the Tigers' bullpen is already seeing some movement.
Bruce Rondon re-joined the Tigers this week after being sent home last season for effort-related reasons. Fellow bullpen man Francisco Rodriguez is still waiting on a visa to do the same. And the team signed former Mets reliever Bobby Parnell.
According to MLive, Rodriguez is stuck in Venzuela waiting on the appropriate work visa before he travels to Florida.
Rodriguez was one of the crown jewels of the Tigers' offseason. He once collected 62 saves in a season (for the Angels in 2008). Last season in Milwaukee, he went 1-3 with 38 saves and 62 strikeouts.
Meanwhile, Rondon reported to spring training, just a few months after manager Brad Ausmus sent him home early before the end of the 2015 season. He played winter ball in Venezuela, where he led the charge of a bench-clearing brawl. Then he was diagnosed with the chikungunya virus, which is transmitted by mosquitos and is known for causing joint swelling, headaches and muscle pain.
Also joining the fold in Lakeland, Fla., is Parnell, who the Tigers signed to a minor league deal Thursday, according to the Detroit News. Parnell is 31 and on his second elbow, after sitting out the 2014 season because of Tommy John surgery.
