Chicago — It was calculated, but it was risky.
The Tigers decided to call up prospect Matt Manning on June 15 from Triple-A Toledo where he was, to say the least, struggling with an ERA over 8. But the rotation was reeling from injuries to Spencer Turnbull and Matthew Boyd.
Manager AJ Hinch, though, sensed part of Manning’s problem in Triple-A might’ve been boredom. He needed a kick in the butt, a fresh challenge and nothing gets a young player’s attention like competing against the best players on the planet.
It could’ve gone real bad.