Cleveland Indians: Josh Tomlin Activated from Family Emergency List

Josh Tomlin is back from the Family Medical Emergency List and will be on the mound for the Cleveland Indians tonight against Toronto.

As expected, the Cleveland Indians announced on Saturday afternoon that right-handed pitcher Josh Tomlin had been activated from the Family Medical Emergency List and would be taking the ball to start against the Toronto Blue Jays in game two of a three-game series.

Tomlin was put on the list on August 17th, when it was reported that he returned home to Tyler, Texas due to a personal matter. Players put on the list are eligible to remain on it for three to five days.

Reliever Shawn Armstrong, who was recalled from the Indians’ Triple-A affiliate in Columbus just yesterday, was optioned back to the Clippers to make room on the 25-man roster. This was Armstrong’s third one-day stint with the big league club this season, though unlike the previous two, he did not make an appearance this time.

On the season, Tomlin is 11-4 with a 4.14 earned run average in 137 innings of  work. He has a 4.94 FIP and an ERA+ of 114, and is second in the league in home runs allowed with 29. Since the all-star break, Tomlin has struggled, going 2-4 with a 5.84 ERA in six starts covering 37 innings. He has allowed eight home runs in those games and an .820 opponents’ OPS.

The Tribe took the first game of the series against the Blue Jays on Friday night in dramatic fashion, and has pushed its lead in the American League’s Central Division to seven games over the Detroit Tigers entering play on Saturday.

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A return to his first half form by Tomlin, who was 9-2 with a 3.51 ERA prior to the all-star break, would give a boost to Cleveland’s starting rotation, as inconsistencies and injuries have plagued it for the past month.