VIERA, Fla. (AP) - The Detroit Tigers will start the season without Jose Iglesias, though just how long the injured shortstop is sidelined will not be known until after he sees a foot and ankle specialist on Tuesday.
General manager Dave Dombrowski announced Sunday that Iglesias will start the season on the disabled list because of painful condition in both shins that affects him when he tries to decelerate.
Iglesias will see Dr. Thomas Clanton of the Steadman Clinic in Colorado on Tuesday, and could possibly see another doctor after that, though Dombrowski did not say who that may be.
“We’ve done a lot of different tests, he’s seen a lot of different doctors,” Dombrowski said. “We’ve sent his information to a lot of doctors. A lot of times, the analysis changed. However, the pain has not disappeared from him.”
Iglesias, acquired from Boston in a three-team trade, is considered a potential Gold Glove defensive infielder. Dombrowski said the 24-year-old Iglesias dealt with the same injury last season, but it did not get better over the offseason and it has bothered him more this spring.
Both Dombrowski and manager Brad Ausmus said they had neither heard of, nor seen, a player experience this type of injury.
What makes it so frustrating is that Iglesias can do a lot of physical activity without pain.
“If you asked him to go take batting practice right now, or take infield, you would not even be able to really tell there is a problem,” Dombrowski said. “But it hurts him when he starts to stop running.”
Ausmus said he noticed there was something wrong with Iglesias during the team’s spring opener against Atlanta on Feb. 26. Iglesias hasn’t played since.
“I could tell when he ran something was bothering him,” Ausmus said. “. Almost like he was running on glass.”
There has been speculation Iglesias could miss significant time, but Dombrowski said there is simply no way to tell how long the shortstop will be out until the true nature of the injury is diagnosed.
Dombrowski did not completely rule out the possibility of making a move. He said he had already heard from two teams once word about the potential seriousness of Iglesias’ injury broke but plans to look at three internal candidates to fill the shortstop spot: Eugenio Suarez, Hernan Perez and Danny Worth.
Defensive ability will be a key factor.
“I’ve watched them enough to have a pecking order, but I haven’t watched them enough to have a final decision,” Ausmus said.
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