Tigers send Bruce Rondon home for the season

Asked to assess the outing, Ausmus said “he got three outs”.

It wasn’t a gift.

Detroit Tigers manager Brad Ausmus announced on Tuesday that the Tigers closer had been sent home for his “effort level” and would not comment further on the situation, to include whether the reasons were personal or baseball related. “And, other than saying that (general manager) Al Avila and myself completely agreed on it, there will be no other details and comment”.

For a while, Rondon became over-reliant on his slider to complement his fastball.

He also said that day he had throttled down his fastball on goal , in order to have better command.

He pitched a scoreless inning on Monday, though his velocity was not at its normal levels.

Rondon declined to speak to reporters after Monday’s game, in which he retired all three batters faced in the ninth inning.

It’s certainly a line-in-the-sand moment for the Tigers.

Rondon could still have a very bright future ahead of him and could easily end up being a big part of the ‘pen next year, but he hasn’t been consistent enough to be handed the permanent keys to the closer’s role heading into 2016.

The good news for Detroit Tigers reliever Bruce Rondon was that he retired all three batters that he faced. “There’s nothing else really for me to say”. A few games after being back from the disabled list, Rondon had been advised not to dial back his velocity and just let it go, essentially. After missing the 2014 season recovering from Tommy John surgery, he seemed to have won a spot on the 25-man roster – only to incur biceps tendinitis. He spent another week in Toledo.

The Tigers have plenty of guys who can get a head start on consolidating positions come spring. He incurred the wrath some of his teammates for slacking on his conditioning work in between outings. It’s not entirely clear if Rondon will be back this season, but Alex Wilson and Neftali Feliz are considered the top options to close in his absence.

Ausmus was asked what he saw specifically in Rondon’s stuff. He has converted five saves in nine opportunities.

Rondon’s performance on the field has left a lot to be desired, as the 24-year-old sports a 5.81 ERA and 1.613 WHIP in 35 games, though his 3.12 ERA in September is his best for any month this season since returning in June. He walked 19 in 31 innings.