This was an interesting decision, because Wilk lost out to the likes of Andy Oliver and Duane Below in spring training before the Tigers finally settled on Drew Smyly as their fifth starter. So once Fister went down, the smart money was on either Oliver or Below.
Instead, Below will remain in the bullpen while Oliver's five-walk outing in 3 2/3 innings in Triple-A must have turned off the Tigers, per MLB.com. Casey Crosby was also reportedly in the mix but had a bad Triple-A outing (five hits, six runs, four earned runs in four innings).
Wilk, 24, threw five shutout innings in his only Triple-A start, so that was apparently enough. He has never made a major-league start, but did appear in five games last season, working 13 1/3 relief innings. He had a 5.40 ERA and 1.28 WHIP with 10 strikeouts.
Wilk's first major-league start will come Saturday against the White Sox.
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