Baltimore — The Tigers on Sunday placed left-handed reliever Brant Hurter on the 15-day injured list.
Hurter tweaked his lower back after making a pitch in the fifth inning Friday night. The initial diagnosis is lumbar spine inflammation.
“He’s going to get further evaluation to see the extent of it,” manager AJ Hinch said. “But it’s enough to where he needs to go on the injured list.”
Hurter was pitching on a wet mound Friday and Hinch was asked if that was a factor in the injury.
“I don’t know; I hope not,” Hinch said. “Nobody wants any injury at any point. We did play through tough conditions, but I don’t want to speculate whether that had anything to do with it. There were no other major incidents in the game. I mean, maybe, but I don’t feel like it’s fair to say it was that.”
Hurter did not make himself available for comment.
Right-hander Ricky Vanasco, who was optioned to Triple-A Toledo on May 15, was recalled to replace Hurter on the active roster.
The Tigers also called up left-hander Drew Sommers to serve as the 27th man for both games of the doubleheader Sunday.
Sommers, who debuted with the Tigers last season, has a 3.10 ERA with the Mud Hens, with 33 strikeouts and 11 walks in 20.1 innings.
“It’s tough to lose Brant,” Hinch said. “He’s part of our attack plan against every lineup. Especially against lefties. This is a place (against the Orioles) where he was used a lot because of the Orioles’ left-handed roster. I trust him. He’s a tough look. He can go long and he can go short.
“It’s just another injury we need to deal with.”
Between games Sunday, the Tigers, as expected, activated right-hander Troy Melton from the 60-day IL to start Game 2.
To make room on the active and 40-man rosters, reliever Connor Seabold was designated for assignment.
Chris.McCosky@detroitnews.com
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Tigers put Brant Hurter on IL; Troy Melton to start Game 2
Reporting by Chris McCosky, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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