Young on restricted list, but could return as soon as Tuesday

NEW YORK -- Delmon Young could return to the Tigers lineup as soon as Tuesday.

Young, involved in a drunken incident and possible hate crime in the early hours of Friday morning, will be evaluated Monday under baseball's new employee assistance program. If the doctor doing the evaluation allows it, the Tigers plan to allow Young to return to the lineup immediately.

"If he's cleared to play by the doctors, he will play," Tigers president and general manager Dave Dombrowski said Saturday afternoon.

Dombrowski said Young will be evaluated for both alcohol and anger management issues.

The Tigers placed Young on the restricted list Saturday morning, allowing them to replace him on the roster. Young will continue to be paid during his time on the restricted list.

The Tigers and Young's New York attorney insist that some of the allegations against Young are untrue, although they have refused to say which ones. Young was charged with misdemeanor assault, and it was reported that the assault included religious slurs.

Dombrowski was called to Young's hotel room sometime between 3:30 and 4 a.m. Friday, after police had been called. He said that Young was "not in a very good state as far as sobriety," but that he apologized then and also later.

"He's extremely remorseful," Dombrowski said. "He's extremely apologetic."

Dombrowski spent the rest of Friday in negotiations that involved the commissioner's office, the players' union and Young's agent. It's believed that the Tigers favored allowing returning Young to the lineup quickly, but that they were convinced that it would not be a good idea to allow him to play in New York this weekend.

Young's legal situation is unlikely to be resolved quickly, but the Tigers are prepared to let him play while the legal issue plays out. Dombrowski pointed out that Young has only been charged with a misdemeanor, and both Dombrowski and Young's New York lawyer have contended that some of the allegations against him are untrue.

Teams are limited as to the discipline they can hand out, because of the strength of the union. The new employee assistance program was included in the new CBA, in large part because baseball felt both embarrassed and handcuffed in a number of alcohol-related incidents over the last few years.

Under the program, and allegation involving alcohol is referred to a professional, who then determines the best course of action.

Young's evaluation is scheduled for Monday, and Dombrowski said it's possible that the Tigers could know the recommendation by late Monday.

The Tigers begin their next homestand on Monday night against the Royals. While it's highly unlikely that Young would be allowed to play that soon, the Tigers believe that he could play as soon as Tuesday.