Manager A.J. Hinch acknowledged that Manning (shoulder) is unlikely to make his next turn through the rotation Saturday against the Rockies in Detroit, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports. "The initial diagnosis [of right shoulder discomfort] has been positive, that it's not anything that's going to linger and last a really long time," Hinch said of Manning. "I think the big question is whether he's going to be available for his start on Saturday. Right now, we'll probably err on the side of caution."
Detroit may wait another day or two to see if Manning is able to complete his usual between-starts bullpen session, but all signs appear to be pointing to the 24-year-old heading to the injured list for a brief spell. The Tigers will get some reinforcement to a depleted rotation with Michael Pineda expected to be called up from the minors to make his season debut Thursday against the Yankees, but Detroit still has Casey Mize (elbow) on the 10-day IL. If Manning can't go Saturday, long reliever Drew Hutchison -- who tossed three scoreless innings out of the bullpen last Saturday against the Royals -- could be called upon to make a spot start.