Joel Zumaya Is Out Until At Least July

Well I guess we now know why the Tigers said Joel Zumaya had suffered a possible dislocation of the middle finger of his throwing hand on Sunday. It's because he didn't dislocate anything, he just ruptured a tendon.

Tigers reliever Joel Zumaya will undergo surgery to repair a ruptured tendon in his right middle finger, forcing him out of action for 12 weeks.

The news came from the club following a visit with hand specialist Dr. Charles Melone on Monday in New York. Dr. Melone will perform the procedure on Thursday. The projected timetable would put Zumaya on track to return around late July.

This is very bad news for the Tigers because now their bullpen goes from a strength to an uncertainty. Fernando Rodney will have take on a larger role as Todd Jones' setup man, and Jose Mesa will fill in for Zumaya.

Ten years ago Mesa for Zumaya would be about an even trade, but these days, I'm not so sure. Mesa himself is just coming off of the disabled list with a pulled groin.

As for what to do with Zumaya when he comes back, D-Town Baseball wonders if Joel should move into the starting rotation.

Upon Zumaya's return, is relief the correct role for him? I've heard a few saying that this injury could be due to his throwing so hard in such a role and that moving him to a starter role would force him to push the breaks a bit on the speed.

I'm not sure I'd agree with that because forcing Zumaya to reduce his velocity takes away from his strength. It's like asking Magglio Ordonez Samson to cut his hair. Not to mention he walks too many batters to be an effective starter.

As for Zumaya's teammates, Curtis Granderson is more confident than I am that things will work out fine.

Our pitching staff has done a great job of picking up the loss of Kenny Rogers, and I am confident that they will do just as good a job of picking us up in the bullpen, too. I think the biggest thing we lose with Joel is his intimidation factor when they announce him at Comerica Park. You hear his music, you see the fireball on the screen, and you hear the fans get loud, so it's got to be tough as an opposing hitter to step in and have to face him.

Of course, the biggest tragedy of all is that not only will Zumaya not be able to pitch for 12 weeks, he's not going to be able to play much Guitar Hero either. Poor fella.

Previously at the Fanhouse:
Joel Zumaya Has More Time For Guitar Hero
Magglio Ordonez Makes His Annual Trip To The Barber