Anaheim, Calif. — Framber Valdez was back on Saturday, reinstated from the bereavement list.
He left the team earlier in the week to tend to a death in the family. He is expected to make his next start Tuesday in Chicago against the Cubs.
To clear a roster spot, the Tigers optioned right-hander Beau Brieske to Triple-A Toledo.
Brieske had started pitching better of late. After giving up three runs in each of his first two outings, he’d allowed one over his last six outings, covering 7⅔ innings with five strikeouts and one walk.
“Beau is going to continue to work on his changeup and get his full arsenal back,” manager AJ Hinch said. “I told him we saw some good things and we also saw some areas he needs to work on. Unfortunately for the players, the bullpen is part of the roster that churns a little bit as we try to stay fresh and current with the team we’re playing as well as the next team we will play. We are starting to mix and match a little bit.”
The Tigers called right-hander Brenan Hanifee Friday as the Tigers will play a couple of right-handed heavy teams in the Angels and Cubs.
“We’re always going to look to optimize our talent,” Hinch said. “Hanifee, right-on-right, is one of the reasons we called him up.”
Another factor is the likelihood of Keider Montero jumping back into the rotation on the next homestand, creating a temporary six-man rotation and seven-man bullpen.
“It’s even more important to make sure we have what we consider to be the most ideal setup,” Hinch said.
chris.mccosky@detroitnews.com
@cmccosky
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Framber Valdez returns from bereavement leave; Tigers option reliever
Reporting by Chris McCosky, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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By Chris McCosky, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
