Eduardo Rodriguez joining crowded Tigers’ injury list after feeling pinch on left side

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Detroit Tigers will place left-handed starter Eduardo Rodriguez on the injured list after he left Wednesday’s start with discomfort in his left side.

The move would leave the Tigers with only one healthy starting pitcher from their Opening Day rotation. Rodriguez would be the fifth starting pitcher to go on the IL since the season began five weeks ago.

“We’re going to play the games, so we’ve got to figure it out,” manager A.J. Hinch said after the Tigers’ 6-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday. “I mean, nobody’s going to feel sorry for us. We’ve got to play better. We’ve got to hit better. We’ve got to play with a little bit more up-tempo. We’ve got to get in the strike zone. I could go on for a while, but what we’ve got to do to get better is a lot more than piecing together the pitching rotation.”

Rodriguez said he first felt discomfort during warmups. It continued during a first inning in which he allowed four singles and two walks. He eventually summoned the dugout after having thrown 23 pitches and retired one batter.

“When I was warming up in the bullpen, I felt a little pinch on my left side,” he said. “I wasn’t able to throw the ball as hard as I wanted. We’re just going to see what it is and we’ll see from there. We’ll get it checked by the doctors and everything and then we’ll see what it is.”

Hinch said Rodriguez would undergo an MRI.

The Tigers have a day off on Thursday and Rodriguez’s next scheduled start would probably be Monday.

Of the three healthy starters remaining in the rotation, Tarik Skubal is in his second full season, while Beau Brieske and Alex Faedo are rookies. Matt Manning, in his second season, is slated to come off the injured list soon, although his planned rehab start with Triple-A Toledo was rained out on Wednesday.

Candidates to replace Rodriguez include Joey Wentz, Elvin Rodriguez, Chase Anderson or Nivaldo Rodriguez at Triple-A Toledo.

“It’s something that you never want to happen,” said Eduardo Rodriguez. “Starting pitchers want to be out there every five days. Fortunately some of those (injured) guys are getting ready to come back. (Injuries) are something that nobody wants to happen, but it happens.”