After awarding the final spot in the starting rotation to Rick Porcello on Tuesday, the Tigers are not considering the move a slight against Drew Smyly. The young left-hander posted a 3.38 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in six Grapefruit League starts during the intense battle with Porcello, but will be used out of the bullpen to start the season.
"Number one, he’s one of our 12 best pitchers. Number two, the fact that he’s built up to a hundred pitches this spring, with the weather conditions and everything (in Detroit), where you might have delays, he can still come in and pitch four or five innings and do that for a period of time," manager Jim Leyland told reporters after the announcement. "I can use him however I want. Most likely ... you'd like to get him some innings so he stays built up."