Doug Fister's strained groin will not allow him to make his scheduled start, forcing the Tigers to turn to rookie Drew Smyly to fill in.

"Obviously, he does not feel well enough to pitch Saturday, so we’re pitching Smyly," said manager Jim Leyland,  who will employ a pitcher making a spot start for the 11th time this season.  "We’ll have to do some juggling again, but we’ve been doing that for most of the year, so that’s really nothing new."

Smyly, who hasn't pitched for the Tigers since July 6, it's a chance to rejoin the rotation he'd been a par of for the majority of the season. A second stint on the disabled list, this time with an intercostal strain in his side, took Smyly out of the rotation in early July. He was sent to Toledo after the Tigers acquired Anibal Sanchez from the Marlins on July 24.

"Can't wait to be back in the D!!" Smyly tweeted Thursday morning. Smyly was 4-3 with a 4.42 ERA in 15 starts for the Tigers this season.

Fister has also spent two stints on the disabled list this season, but it's unclear if the current injury, a mild to moderate strain of his right groin, will put him on the shelf a third time. The Tigers will have to make some sort of roster move to clear space for Smyly's recall.

Trainer Kevin Rand said Wednesday that the status of the injury had not changed since Sunday.

Fister originally felt the strain in his groin near the start of his warm-ups prior to Sunday's start, and tried to pitch through the discomfort.