Has Bruce Rondon thrown his last pitch for the Detroit Tigers?

ARLINGTON, Texas – Bruce Rondon is back in the minors, shuttled for a second time this season to Triple-A Toledo on Sunday, which begs a couple of questions: What’s next? And why did it take the Tigers this long?

Rondon hasn’t been effective this season ... bad, really. From start to finish, he has been unable to perform well in important situations. He shows flashes of potential, but the same immaturity issues from the past continue to plague him.

In 21 games, the right-hander had a 10.91 ERA and 1.97 WHIP. Twice, manager Brad Ausmus has handed him the reins to a set-up situation. Both times, Rondon has proved incapable.

With the Tigers going nowhere fast — they entered Monday 11 games behind the first-place Indians in the American League Central and carried a half-percent chance of a postseason berth, according to FanGraphs — it’s likely Rondon’s chances have  run out with the organization.

By optioning him to Toledo this late in the season, with the team's fate all but decided, the Tigers are effectively saying they would rather evaluate other righty relievers – like Drew VerHagen and Jeff Ferrell – than Rondon.

“That’s not what precipitated the move,” Ausmus said before tonight's game. “Those names just mentioned, they definitely have the opportunity to prove they deserve to be on a major league roster. There’s no question about that.”

But after walking two batters in the eighth inning of Sunday’s loss to the Twins – throwing one strike — the Tigers have chosen to have Rondon try to find that consistency in the minors.

“Because he’s been inconsistent up here,” Ausmus said. “Simple as that.”

But at age 26, it’s hard to see what another stint with the Mud Hens will do.

Rondon is entering his second season of arbitration eligibility this winter. There’s a strong chance he won’t be tendered a contract from the Tigers, making him a free agent. But even if the Tigers chose to bring him back, he would need to make the 25-man roster out of spring training or at least clear waivers to stay in the organization.

[The season is over for the Detroit Tigers. It's time to start testing young talent]

The Tigers have tried to send messages to Rondon over the years and were more hopeful than ever that he had turned the corner after posting a reliable 2.97 and 0.96 WHIP last season. But this spring training, he showed up to Lakeland, Fla., looking the same, still too heavy and pitching without enough urgency with a set-up role there for the taking. Still, he was rewarded with the role and just a week into the season was the first domino to fall in a bad bullpen.

On some nights, Rondon will show you why the Tigers have given him so many chances: He throws 100 m.p.h. But those glimpses have been few and far between, and that fastball, while speedy, is also straight. Evaluators believe his weight — 275 — is a major hurdle in repeating his delivery consistently. And there has been no evidence that his maturity issues are over.

“I think it’s a little bit of both,” Ausmus said. “Sometimes the brain gets in the way of mechanics. He’s going down. He’s gotta perform consistently.”

In his most embarrassing moment as a Tiger, he intentionally hit Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas in a blowout loss on July 27. Once again, his competitive nature was questioned. Publicly, none of his teammates took his side. Privately, some shook their heads at the antics. Still, the Tigers did not move on, instead giving Rondon another high-leverage opportunity, which he blew in fantastic fashion two days later, taking the loss against the Astros after allowing a three-run home run to Josh Reddick in the eighth inning.

That he lived to pitch again after those outings seemed to represent a last chance to right a ship that has been destined to sink for a while. And now, in a lost year with pitchers who don’t have nearly his kind of potential sticking around, it’s more likely than ever Rondon’s chances as a Tiger have run out.

Contact Anthony Fenech: afenech@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @anthonyfenech.