How Did Jake Rogers Get Hurt?
Jake Rogers got hurt playing the game against the Texas Rangers in Monday’s series opener at Comerica Park.
Following right-hander Spencer Turnbull, Rogers is the team’s second player to require Tommy John surgery this season.
Turnbull had surgery on July 29 after tossing a no-hitter in May. Dr. Jeffrey Kugas of Birmingham, Alabama, conducted the procedure.
Rogers was placed on the disabled list on July 19 after experiencing right arm pain. Medical examinations found a pronator teres strain, which means he had a forearm injury near his elbow.
The Tigers were hoping for a “late-season return” for their young catcher around the end of July.
Rogers’ 2021 season has been challenging but rewarding. Rogers was relegated to the alternate training facility in Toledo, and subsequently to Triple-A after the minor-league season began, after trying to make the Opening Day roster out of spring training.
Rogers was called up to the major leagues by the Tigers on May 7, giving him another chance to prove himself as the future catcher.
In the 2017 Justin Verlander deal, he wOver 35 games, Rogers hit.125 with four home runs, eight RBIs, 13 walks, and 51 strikeouts.
His defense, which he excels at, also took a hit. In 302 innings behind the plate, he had nine passed balls.
Over 38 games, he had a .239 batting average, five doubles, three triples, six home runs, 17 RBIs, 11 walks, and 46 strikeouts, demonstrating an improved offensive approach.
The Tigers were ecstatic with his performance, especially because his strength is behind the plate rather than at it is acquired (along with pitcher Franklin Perez and outfielder Daz Cameron) from the Houston Astros.
He demonstrated the defensive success that led to the Astros selecting him No. 97 overall in 2016 and the Tigers requiring his participation in the Verlander trade in August 2017.
He had a fielding percentage of.997 and only one error.