Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Friday that Gipson-Long (groin) will begin the season on the 15-day injured list, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
The right-hander hasn't pitched in any spring games while recovering from the groin strain he suffered early in camp, so it's not a big surprise he won't be available to start the season. Gipson-Long made his big-league debut down the stretch last year and had a 2.70 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 26:8 K:BB in four starts (20 innings), but he may be pitching for Triple-A Toledo once healthy with Casey Mize and Reese Olson winning the final two spots in Detroit's rotation. Gipson-Long recently progressed to throwing live batting practice, so he could soon move on to building up his workload.