LAKELAND, Fla. -- Angel Nesbitt pitched well enough that he had a case to be considered for a return to the Tigers' bullpen. A bad step in pitchers fielding drills Wednesday morning wiped that out.
Nesbitt, the hard-throwing young right-hander who made last year's Opening Day bullpen, will miss the next 4-6 weeks with a third-degree sprain of his right ankle.
Nesbitt tossed 4 1/3 scoreless innings over his first four outings before giving up three runs on four hits Tuesday against the Braves. That misfortune was nothing compared to Wednesday morning, when his ankle gave out while fielding a comebacker.
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"The ball hit my glove, and I tried to catch it again," Nesbitt said.
That lunge forward was when Nesbitt's ankle gave out. He had to be helped off the back fields.
Nesbitt was in the Tigers' clubhouse Thursday morning, but his lower right leg is in a walking boot. His spirits were understandably down.
"I was feeling good," Nesbitt said. "I was trying to show that I can come back up here. And then this happens."

"I thought he was throwing well," manager Brad Ausmus said. "It looked like the offseason had done him some good and he was refocused."