Tigers to limit Fulmer's workload with break in sight

Michael Fulmer has been a revelation since joining the Detroit Tigers rotation, and the team wants to make sure he continues unabated for years to come.

To that end, the team has been monitoring Fulmer's innings closely - he's already at 79 between the majors and Triple-A, inching closer to last year's career-high of 124 2/3 - and they plan to decrease his use during the month of July. The 23-year-old will start Friday against Tampa Bay, his first outing in nine days, then again on Wednesday with regular rest, and then he won't see the mound again until after the All-Star break.

"Better to be safe than sorry," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus told Jason Beck of MLB.com.

Unlike many in baseball, Ausmus isn't a subscriber to the theory that all pitchers should have hard-and-fast limits. He believes every pitcher is a different case; in this one, he's trying to protect a talented young arm who's dealt with bone spurs in his elbow and a torn meniscus in past seasons, meaning a plan for Fulmer is quite important. Ausmus has mused about aiming for a 25-30 percent increase from last year for Fulmer, putting him in the 155-165 inning range.

"I don't think anybody knows what the exact answer is, because you're dealing with human beings and they're all different," Ausmus explained.

Fulmer's provided a surge of energy for the Tigers since joining the big club in late April. He's already set a club rookie record with a 33 1/3 inning scoreless streak in May and hasn't allowed more than one run in seven consecutive starts. But he's raising no issues with the plan to limit his workload despite an All-Star caliber first half.

"I understand everywhere they're coming from," Fulmer said. "I'm not complaining about it. I just gotta go out and do my job whenever my name is called to pitch and go get a 'W' that night."