Rondon was optioned to Triple-A Toledo, after allowing two runs on two hits and two walks in 1/3 innings Wednesday.

"Right now he’s just not ready for this," Tigers manager Jim Leyland told the Detroit Free Press. "When I say that, please don’t think anybody's down on him. We think he's a future closer at the major league level. But I can't get him enough work right now."

Rondon made three appearances since being called up, allowing three runs in 2 1/3 innings. The team called up Luke Potkonen to replace Rondon on the roster. 

"Not being thrown into the closer role should help him," Leyland said to The Detroit News. "We still think he has that equipment for the future. He's a very emotional young guy who takes it very hard and very personal (when he doesn't do well), and I want to commend that. But it's also something you have to overcome to become a big-league relief pitcher and eventually, hopefully, a closer."

Rondon has huge upside, but we have spent far too much time discussing someone who the Tigers' organization seems to have no faith in at the end of games. Rondon's 100-mile-per-hour heat should work well at the end of games sometime in the future, but the Tigers are putting that off as long as they can.

Rondon is probably going to pile up strikeouts (9.8 per nine innings in the minors), but if he isn't consistently getting save opportunities, he will have little value in most Fantasy formats. 

Either Rondon -- who saved three games and struck out nine in 7 2/3 scoreless minor league innings with Toledo -- gets a couple chances, converts them, and runs away with the job (thus fulfilling the Dombrowski Prophecy of 2012), or Rondon's control issues pop up and Jose Valverde slides in as the closer, as he is currently inching his way back up to the majors. 

Benoit, at best, becomes the backup (maybe Valverde is released if Rondon proves capable, or Rondon is sent down after showing control problems), and at worst becomes the third option. But I doubt the Tigers are grooming Valverde and giving Rondon another shot just to slot them both in middle relief so Benoit can close games. Rondon may not end up being the closer, but he has a much better long-term shot at it than Benoit. 

After some struggles this spring, Rondon was a different pitcher during his seven minor-league appearances, issuing just two walks while recording nine strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings. If he's just as dominant in the majors, then he and his 100-mile-per-hour fastball will quickly move up the pecking order. Of course, if he's just as dominant in the majors, we'll probably know it right away.

If he strikes out two in a scoreless inning against the Royals Tuesday night, you might not be able to beat the rush to the waiver wire. So why not beat it now, particularly if you already missed out on Andrew Bailey and Edward Mujica?