Tigersground.com | Detroit Tigers News, tigers Scores, Game Recaps & Commentary - <div> --RHP Jeremy Bonderman hopes to begin throwing again this month as he comes back from having a rib removed to clear up circulatory problems in his right shoulder. Bonderman was 3-4 while pitching just 12 games for Detroit last season before being sidelined by a blood clot in his shoulder. He visited the Tigers on several occasions last season, and all of his checkups showed expected progress toward a healthy return.</div>--RHP Gary Glover was outrighted to Class AAA Toledo on Oct. 30 but elected to become a free agent. Glover was picked up as a minor league free agent Aug. 9 after being released by Tampa Bay and was brought up to Detroit after a weekend at Toledo. He was 1-1 with a 4.43 ERA in 18 games for the Tigers. Glover is eligible to sign with any organization, including Detroit. --C Dane Sardinha was outrighted to Class AAA Toledo and elected to become a free agent Oct. 30. Sardinha had two terms with Detroit this season but hit just .159 with three RBIs in 17 games. He hit just .202 for Toledo. Sardinha showed excellent catching and throwing skills but appeared overmatched at the plate. He is eligible to re-sign with the Tigers as well as any other organization. --SS Edgar Renteria was officially notified Oct. 30 that Detroit is buying him out of his 2009 option for $3 million. Renteria was obtained from Atlanta a year ago for RHP Jair Jurrjens and OF Gorkys Hernandez, but his defensive skills have diminished and he had trouble hitting much of the first half of the season before finishing strong. Overall, Renteria batted .270 with 10 home runs and 55 RBIs in 138 games for the Tigers. Detroit told Renteria before the season ended it would be buying him out of his option year ($11 million) but might wind up signing him for a much lower amount. --C Vance Wilson faces an uncertain future as he comes back from his second Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. Wilson's contract ran out after the World Series and because his second operation didn't take place until early summer, his possible return to action probably won't be until May or June. He indicated at the time of his surgery he'd like to sign with the Tigers since they paid him essentially to rehab for two years. Wilson hit .283 for Detroit in 2006, the last year he played, and he'll be 36 on Mar. 17. Detroit may sign him to a minor league deal with a higher salary if he can return to the Tigers. --1B/3B Jeff Larish has been playing more first base than third for the Mesa Solar Sox of the Arizona Fall League, but his hitting has been decent. Detroit wanted him to play winter ball but placed him in the fall league because Larish is scheduled to get married in early December. Larish had a streak of six straight games with an RBI recently while hitting .281 with a home run and 13 RBI in his first 15 games. Teammate RHP Zach Simons, also a Detroit farmhand, blogged that "watching him go about his day-to-day business, you kind of get a feel for what it's like at the big-league level. He's a true professional and a great hitter." --CF Curtis Granderson rounded out his week-long trip to China on behalf of Major League Baseball with a visit to the Great Wall. Granderson, whose parents accompanied him, visited MLB's Play Ball! Schools during his visit, conducting clinics, answering questions and helping practices. His final day involved a coaches clinic at a Beijing university. For the visit to the Great Wall, Granderson wrote in the Detroit News, "We had the option of either walking to the top of our section or taking the ski-lift. Taking the lift was a great suggestion, because once we made it to the top, there was even more walking. If you ever make it to the Great Wall, I would suggest the lift, because once you do make it to the top, you want to be able to walk around up there, instead of exhausting all your energy trying to walk up it." --2B Will Rhymes, 25, Detroit's 27th-round selection in the 2005 draft out of William & Mary, is trying to overcome the "too small" label on his way through the farm system. Rhymes is 5-foot-9 and maybe 160 pounds but has some speed and the ability to get on base that he hopes will let him play bigger than his size. Rhymes was hitting .333 through his first 12 games for the Mesa Solar Sox of the Arizona Fall League with a .362 on-base percentage. He played at the Class AA level for Detroit this season and hit .306 to earn a brief bump to Class AAA. --RHP Mike LaLuna, 22, undrafted out of New York Tech as a shortstop, recently signed with Detroit after becoming a top prospect as a relief pitcher for Sussex of the independent Can-Am League. LaLuna was a good collegiate shortstop with a weak bat but threw a 94 mph fastball at an independent league tryout camp and was quickly signed. He did pitch 23 collegiate innings but is still very raw. His fastball held up during the summer, and he added the beginnings of a nice slurve. He showed good poise as a setup man and impressed with his ability to take instruction. BY THE NUMBERS: 5 -- Different stints former major league pitcher Jeff Jones has served as Detroit's bullpen coach since joining the organization in 1989 (1995; September 1998-1999; Sept. 7, 2000; April 9, 2002; 2007-present). QUOTE TO NOTE: "We are pleased to have Jeff Jones on the coaching staff for the upcoming season. Jeff has done a tremendous job for the Tigers organization over the years. After talking with both Jeff and (new pitching coach) Rick Knapp this week in Detroit, we felt Jeff was the best fit to be the club's bullpen coach." -- Detroit manager Jim Leyland on the turnaround concerning Jones, who was fired along with pitching coach Chuck Hernandez just before the season ended but rehired to return as bullpen coach Oct. 30.

--RHP Jeremy Bonderman hopes to begin throwing again this month as he comes back from having a rib removed to clear up circulatory problems in his right shoulder. Bonderman was 3-4 while pitching just 12 games for Detroit last season before being sidelined by a blood clot in his shoulder. He visited the Tigers on several occasions last season, and all of his checkups showed expected progress toward a healthy return.

--RHP Gary Glover was outrighted to Class AAA Toledo on Oct. 30 but elected to become a free agent. Glover was picked up as a minor league free agent Aug. 9 after being released by Tampa Bay and was brought up to Detroit after a weekend at Toledo. He was 1-1 with a 4.43 ERA in 18 games for the Tigers. Glover is eligible to sign with any organization, including Detroit.

--C Dane Sardinha was outrighted to Class AAA Toledo and elected to become a free agent Oct. 30. Sardinha had two terms with Detroit this season but hit just .159 with three RBIs in 17 games. He hit just .202 for Toledo. Sardinha showed excellent catching and throwing skills but appeared overmatched at the plate. He is eligible to re-sign with the Tigers as well as any other organization.

--SS Edgar Renteria was officially notified Oct. 30 that Detroit is buying him out of his 2009 option for $3 million. Renteria was obtained from Atlanta a year ago for RHP Jair Jurrjens and OF Gorkys Hernandez, but his defensive skills have diminished and he had trouble hitting much of the first half of the season before finishing strong. Overall, Renteria batted .270 with 10 home runs and 55 RBIs in 138 games for the Tigers. Detroit told Renteria before the season ended it would be buying him out of his option year ($11 million) but might wind up signing him for a much lower amount.

--C Vance Wilson faces an uncertain future as he comes back from his second Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. Wilson's contract ran out after the World Series and because his second operation didn't take place until early summer, his possible return to action probably won't be until May or June. He indicated at the time of his surgery he'd like to sign with the Tigers since they paid him essentially to rehab for two years. Wilson hit .283 for Detroit in 2006, the last year he played, and he'll be 36 on Mar. 17. Detroit may sign him to a minor league deal with a higher salary if he can return to the Tigers.

--1B/3B Jeff Larish has been playing more first base than third for the Mesa Solar Sox of the Arizona Fall League, but his hitting has been decent. Detroit wanted him to play winter ball but placed him in the fall league because Larish is scheduled to get married in early December. Larish had a streak of six straight games with an RBI recently while hitting .281 with a home run and 13 RBI in his first 15 games. Teammate RHP Zach Simons, also a Detroit farmhand, blogged that "watching him go about his day-to-day business, you kind of get a feel for what it's like at the big-league level. He's a true professional and a great hitter."

--CF Curtis Granderson rounded out his week-long trip to China on behalf of Major League Baseball with a visit to the Great Wall. Granderson, whose parents accompanied him, visited MLB's Play Ball! Schools during his visit, conducting clinics, answering questions and helping practices. His final day involved a coaches clinic at a Beijing university. For the visit to the Great Wall, Granderson wrote in the Detroit News, "We had the option of either walking to the top of our section or taking the ski-lift. Taking the lift was a great suggestion, because once we made it to the top, there was even more walking. If you ever make it to the Great Wall, I would suggest the lift, because once you do make it to the top, you want to be able to walk around up there, instead of exhausting all your energy trying to walk up it."

--2B Will Rhymes, 25, Detroit's 27th-round selection in the 2005 draft out of William & Mary, is trying to overcome the "too small" label on his way through the farm system. Rhymes is 5-foot-9 and maybe 160 pounds but has some speed and the ability to get on base that he hopes will let him play bigger than his size. Rhymes was hitting .333 through his first 12 games for the Mesa Solar Sox of the Arizona Fall League with a .362 on-base percentage. He played at the Class AA level for Detroit this season and hit .306 to earn a brief bump to Class AAA.

--RHP Mike LaLuna, 22, undrafted out of New York Tech as a shortstop, recently signed with Detroit after becoming a top prospect as a relief pitcher for Sussex of the independent Can-Am League. LaLuna was a good collegiate shortstop with a weak bat but threw a 94 mph fastball at an independent league tryout camp and was quickly signed. He did pitch 23 collegiate innings but is still very raw. His fastball held up during the summer, and he added the beginnings of a nice slurve. He showed good poise as a setup man and impressed with his ability to take instruction.

BY THE NUMBERS: 5 -- Different stints former major league pitcher Jeff Jones has served as Detroit's bullpen coach since joining the organization in 1989 (1995; September 1998-1999; Sept. 7, 2000; April 9, 2002; 2007-present).

QUOTE TO NOTE: "We are pleased to have Jeff Jones on the coaching staff for the upcoming season. Jeff has done a tremendous job for the Tigers organization over the years. After talking with both Jeff and (new pitching coach) Rick Knapp this week in Detroit, we felt Jeff was the best fit to be the club's bullpen coach." -- Detroit manager Jim Leyland on the turnaround concerning Jones, who was fired along with pitching coach Chuck Hernandez just before the season ended but rehired to return as bullpen coach Oct. 30.