Joe Nathan.jpg

Detroit Tigers reliever Joe Nathan walks off the field after allowing the Kansas City Royals to score a run in the ninth inning in Detroit. Detroit won 2-1 in 10 innings.

(AP File Photo)

TOLEDO -- Detroit Tigers closer Joe Nathan said he felt a pop in his right arm.

Exactly what that means for the 40-year-old Nathan and his immediate future with the Tigers remains to be seen, but it's clear Nathan's road to recovery from a right elbow flexor strain hit a giant snag Wednesday.

Scheduled to throw around 25 pitches in a rehab appearance at Triple-A Toledo, Nathan was forced to exit after throwing just 10 pitches after suffering an injury.

"It feels like I broke my arm," Nathan said. "I never have broken my arm, but I would assume this is what it feels like."

Nathan wasn't willing to speculate about the severity of the injury after the Mud Hens' game, but acknowledged that he felt a sharp pain in his right forearm after throwing a strike to Louisville Bats outfielder Bryson Smith in the seventh inning.

Nathan pointed toward his forearm as he talked with pitching coach Mike Maroth and head athletic trainer Chris McDonald, both of whom met him at the mound. Nathan threw a warmup pitch, but was clearly in pain and immediately exited.

"I tried to play catch with the first one and if that one felt good, go from there," he said. "But I still felt it. Definitely pain, obviously. I'm sure you could see that."

Prior to his exit, Nathan retired the first two batters he faced and threw seven of his 10 pitches for strikes. His fastball consistently touched 88-89 mph and he got Steve Selsky to whiff at an 85-mph slider for a third strike after falling behind 3-0.

"I was real happy (with the pitching during the appearance). That's why it's scary and disappointing," Nathan said. "Just that one pitch came out of the blue and caught hold of me."

Nathan has been on the 15-day disabled list with a right elbow flexor strain. He was holding his right arm as he walked off the Fifth Third Field and returned to the Mud Hens' clubhouse where he was evaluated by the training staff.

"Until we go find out what's going on, I don't want to speculate on what it is," Nathan said. "But obviously, it was enough for me to take myself out of a game. And anytime somebody walks off the mound is never a good thing."

Nathan will return to Detroit tonight and await further instruction from the Tigers. He's expected to undergo testing, including an MRI exam.

"A lot of times, the pain will kinda shoot across a wide range of the arm," Nathan said. "It felt like, to me, it was a similar area in the flexor mass."

Did it feel like something popped?

"Yeah, that's why at first I thought it was going to be scar tissue," Nathan said. "Because I did feel something like that."

Tigers manager Brad Ausmus has declined to offer a timetable on when he expected Nathan to rejoin the Tigers. But it was widely assumed that Wednesday's rehab appearance could have been the final step towards Nathan rejoining the team.

"If he comes out of it healthy," Toledo manager Larry Parrish said prior to the Mud Hens' game Wednesday, "it could be the only time we see him."

Nathan was eligible to return from the 15-day disabled list Wednesday. He threw a full bullpen Monday and reported no discomfort.

"It's just weird," Nathan said. "I feel like we've done what we needed to do to get to this point. I felt great in the bullpen. Even when I was preparing myself, my forearm would always have what I would call normal bruising and tightness, but it was fine. It never restricted me. And today in the bullpen, it felt even better."

Nathan warmed up in the Mud Hens' bullpen prior to his appearance Wednesday and there was question as to whether he was able to get loose, given the chilly temperatures. But both Maroth and Nathan dismissed weather as being factor.

"He said he felt good in the bullpen," Maroth said. "I watched him warm up and in the game, and there were no signs of anything. It wasn't an issue of him not being able to get loose. He felt good about everything."

With Nathan sidelined, reliever Joakim Soria was named the interim closer for the Tigers and has excelled in the role. He's posted a 1.35 ERA, while limiting opponents to a .087 batting average and hasn't allowed a run to score in seven of eight appearances.

There was question as to who would be anointed the team's closer when Nathan eventually returned from the disabled list. That question has now been put on hold.

"I know I came back quick, but we also listened to my arm," Nathan said. "And my arm has been responding very well. And it responded well today. Until one pitch."

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