The Detroit Tigers have placed closer Francisco Rodriguez on the family medical emergency list and recalled left-hander Matt Boyd from Triple-A Toledo, the club announced Sunday.

Rodriguez, who hasn't pitched since Wednesday, can return to the active roster in three days, though he's allowed to take as many as seven days to attend to the undisclosed emergency that pulled him away from his club's series against the Cleveland Indians.

Acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers in November, the six-time All-Star has struggled through his first few weeks in Detroit. Though Rodriguez has converted four saves in five chances, the 34-year-old owns a 7.11 ERA and 1.74 WHIP through his first seven outings, allowing two homers and four walks in 6 1/3 innings.

On Wednesday, after allowing two runs on two hits and a pair of walks en route to a shaky save in Kansas City, Rodriguez described his performance as "embarrassing."

"Even though I still got the job done, it's quite embarrassing," Rodriguez said. "Simple as that. I have to pitch a lot better now. Get first-pitch strikes and put hitters away. Stop messing around. Simple as that."