The Detroit Tigers placed stalwart catcher James McCann on the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday morning.
The #Tigers today announced that they have placed C @JamesMcCann34 on the 15-day disabled list with a right ankle sprain.
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) April 12, 2016
McCann showed up to the clubhouse wearing a brace on his ankle and using crutches to get around, per Jason Beck of MLB.com, suggesting this could potentially be an issue that lingers past the 15-day mark.
The catcher injured his ankle when he crashed into Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman John Jaso Monday, rolling his ankle on the bag.
The injury forces backup catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia into starting duty. In the same vein, Bobby Wilson from Triple-A Toledo has been called up to back up Saltalamacchia, per the Detroit Free Press.
Thankfully the injury occurred early in the season. McCann played 114 games last year for the Tigers and was productive in the lineup, but his true value comes in his ability to call games from behind the plate.
The Tigers are 3-2 to open the season and should be able to absorb this early injury without any lingering long-term effect.