Beau Burrows sent back to Triple-A
Saturday was not a good day for Beau Burrows or the Detroit Tigers. The club got embarrassed on the field in a 15-2 loss against the Chicago White Sox. Despite the absurd score line though, the only thing people were talking about after the game is the team’s 24-year-old pitcher.
Burrows entered the game in the fourth inning with his team already down big. He managed to throw 50 pitches in just 1 and 2/3 innings before being forced off the mound due to illness. He had no issues in the fourth inning, getting out of it with ease but everything came crashing down in the fifth.
The youngster allowed the White Sox four baserunners in the fifth inning before striking out back-to-back batters. The problem for Burrows though was that he was starting to feel the effects of the heat and would begin vomiting on the mound. Chicago’s Yermin Mercedes was the first player to notice something wasn’t right as he signaled to the Tigers’ dugout for help.
“I think he threw up maybe a couple times,” said Tigers manager A.J. Hinch following the game. “I didn’t stick around on the mound long enough to check it out. He said he was feeling sick, a little lightheaded. We immediately brought him out. He had thrown a lot of pitches that inning.”
Burrows was drafted in the first round of the 2015 MLB Draft by the Tigers who selected him with the 22nd overall pick. He opted to forego his commitment to play college basketball at Texas A&M University to play baseball in the Tiger’s organization.
While he did make his MLB debut last season for Detroit, this was his first appearance of the 2021 campaign. The club decided to option him back to their Triple-A affiliate the Toledo Mud Hens following the loss to the White Sox in order to free up space for another arm in the bullpen.
Burrows had just been called up to the big league team last Thursday after the Tigers’ sustained a number of injuries. Outfielder Derek Hill and left-handed reliever Derek Holland had already been placed on the 10 day injured list last week before right-handed reliever Rony Garcia went down in a pregame warmup. Garcia ended up spraining his left knee, freeing up space for the likes of Burrows to be called up.
It is unfortunate that Burrows will be unable to take advantage of the Tigers’ injury situation and prove he belongs in the MLB. However, the Tigers sit in dead last in the American League Central Division with an abysmal 26-39 record. As disappointing as it must be for Burrows to be sent back down after just being called up, he will certainly have more opportunities this year to show his worth.
The youngster posted a 5.40 ERA through 6 2/3 innings of work last season in the MLB, but will be looking to improve on that record this season. He has a 1-1 record with an ERA of 6.23 with the Mud Hens in Triple-A this year so far.
