Detroit Tigers: Will Daniel Norris soon rejoin rotation?

Detroit Tigers left-hander Daniel Norris has been sidelined since late April with a groin injury. He is currently rehabbing in the minor leagues and could reportedly be back with the Tigers very soon.

Back in the summer of 2015, the Detroit Tigers acquired Daniel Norris from the Toronto Blue Jays as the centerpiece in the David Price trade. While Norris has shown flashes of brilliance during his time with the Tigers, he has yet to evolve into the type of pitcher that many expected he would be at this point.

Going into the 2018 season, it wasn’t a sure thing that Norris would be part of the team’s rotation, but a back injury to Mike Fiers opened up a spot for Norris on the starting staff. However, Norris’ first scheduled start of the season was postponed due to inclement weather, and Fiers was activated from the DL the following weekend. While there was speculation that Norris could be sent to the minor leagues, he was ultimately bumped to the bullpen.

Still, Norris would eventually make a couple of spot starts for the Tigers in April before suffering a groin injury. He ultimately underwent surgery and was placed on the 60-day DL.

Norris has now resumed baseball activities. He has been rehabbing in the minor leagues and the results have been rather encouraging. This past week, Norris made a start for the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens. He pitched four innings, allowing one earned run and striking out four.

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Prior to that outing, Chris McCosky of the Detroit News reported that manager Ron Gardenhire had said that Norris would likely work out of the Tigers’ bullpen if and when he returned. However, Jason Beck of MLB has now reported that Gardenhire is saying it’s possible that Norris could start for the Tigers on Saturday.

If Norris can make it back to Detroit and have a solid finish to the season, it could potentially mean a lot for both him and the Tigers. While it hasn’t been a great season for the Tigers, to say the least, there have been a couple of bright spots in the starting rotation.

Matthew Boyd has strung together a very respectable season, and Jordan Zimmermann is having his best year since joining the Tigers. Both pitchers have been above average according to ERA+, posting marks of 105 and 102, respectively.

Moreover, ace Michael Fulmer recently returned from an oblique injury and pitched 4.2 scoreless innings against the Chicago White Sox on Friday. Assuming Fulmer isn’t traded over the offseason, the Tigers could have three solid starters going into next season. In a perfect-world scenario, Norris could add a fourth.