Detroit continues to have problems with injuries. Damion Easley, Dean Palmer and Mitch Meluskey have all gone on the DL in the last week. The Tigers were able to activate Damian Jackson from the DL, but Dmitri Young hasn't played since the 18th due to injury.

Easley has been hampered by a trunk strain since April 6th and barely played in the intervening time. Detroit finely decided to place him on the DL on the 17th. After being bumped from centerfield by Andres Torres, Jose Macias covered 2B while Easley was injured. Torres missed five games last week due to a left hamstring injury but appears to have recovered and is back in the lineup. He also injured the same hamstring in early March during Spring Training, so this may be something that troubles him periodically throughout the season. Considering his primary skill is his speed, a chronic hamstring problem could put a severe cramp in his future value.

However, Macias' slow start has caused the Tigers to begin occasionally using Oscar Salazar at second. While Macias has slumped this spring, Detroit should wait it out rather than cut his playing time. Although Salazar has some power potential and a bit of speed, he has only had a small amount of AAA playing time and really needs to return to the minors to work on his dismal plate discipline. For that matter, Torres would likely benefit from some AAA time. Torres had not played above AA when the season began. He started the year at AAA but was called up in the first week due to injuries at the major league level. While his skills are probably advanced to the point that he can handle the big league job, without AAA time he'll likely struggle a bit rather than excel quickly.

Macias belongs in the majors and should pull through this slump to have a good season as long as the Tigers don't jerk him around too much. Damian Jackson will probably receive some of the second base playing time now that he's returned, but the Tigers like the flexibility he provides as a bench player, so he probably won't start on a regular basis.

Easley's strained oblique is serious enough that the Tigers don't necessarily expect him to return as soon as he's eligible to return on May 2nd, although they do think he'll be back sometime in early May. Now that Jackson's lacerated finger has healed, he shouldn't suffer any complications from the injury and should be fine for the future.

The Tigers called up OF Craig Monroe to take Easley's roster spot last week. However, he was sent down again on Monday to make room Jackson. Detroit claimed Monroe off waivers from Texas in February. He was a victim of the Rangers' 40-man crunch and a nice pick-up for the Tigers. The 25-year-old spent most of last season at AAA aside from a short major league call-up. He has both power and speed as well as developing plate discipline but will benefit from the additional minor league time to continue work on his strike zone judgment.

Last Saturday, Detroit placed Dean Palmer on the DL retroactive to April 14th. Palmer is recovering from off-season surgery to repair a tear in his right rotator cuff and began the season on the disabled list. The Tigers want him to continue rehabbing in the minors until he is capable of playing third base as they don't want him on the major league team if he's limited to DHing. His shoulder injury was quite severe, so he could be out for a considerable time unless injuries to other members of the team cause the Tigers to call him up just to have another decent bat on the roster, regardless of the status of his fielding.

Detroit felt comfortable making the move now because Randall Simon has played very well so far this year. The 26-year-old first baseman has split the last five years between AAA and the majors, but he really began to develop plate discipline in the last few seasons and has become a real asset for the Tigers with this development. He also seems to be converting some of his doubles' power into home runs.

Simon has filled in for Young while he's sidelined with a groin strain. He's played so well that they've even moved him into Young's cleanup spot. While I don't think that Young's job is in jeopardy when he returns, I do expect Simon to remain in the lineup consistently even after Young is able to play again. If the team hadn't been so slow all season in placing their players on the DL, I'd suspect that Young might head to the DL as a precautionary measure. Detroit has really played with less than a full roster all season, frequently carrying injured players on the roster for long streaks.

Meluskey seems to be the exception to that rule. The Tigers want to be very careful with the catcher. They've limited his playing time this spring in order to protect him from over-using his right shoulder, the same shoulder that required season-ending surgery last spring. However, his shoulder is not the reason he's been placed on the DL. According to the Chris Shaeffer of MLB.com, Meluskey is suffering from "spondylolisthesis, a condition that puts pressure on the nerves in the lower back." The resulting pain has prevented him from playing. Detroit doesn't expect him back in just 15-days but they aren't sure how much longer he will need to remain on the DL beyond that point.

Brandon Inge was called up to take Meluskey's roster spot. Inge also missed a large portion of last season with a shoulder injury, though his was not as severe as Meluskey's. The lost time hampered his development and he really needs additional minor league time to improve his offensive skills. While in the majors, he will serve as the Tigers' back-up catcher.

Mike Rivera is the Tigers' starting catcher. Manager Luis Pujols actually made that decision before Meluskey was placed on the DL. Pujols has also reportedly abandoned Detroit's original plan to occasionally use the non-starting catcher as a DH, although Inge would not have been a candidate for that role due to his weak offensive abilities.