The Mysterious Case of Dontrelle Willis has taken yet another strange turn …

LAKELAND, Fla. -- The long-speculated decision on Dontrelle Willis ended up being an unexpected diagnosis and a trip to the disabled list. The Tigers placed the former 22-game winner on the 15-day DL Sunday morning with anxiety disorder. The diagnosis, Willis said, came after team doctors and specialists consulted with the once dominant starter who, lately, has turned struggling pitcher. "They had a very concerned look on their faces," Willis said. Willis cited blood tests that were conducted earlier this month that raised concerns. Research suggests there are no lab tests to diagnose an anxiety disorder, but such tests can be used to look for physical causes for symptoms, ruling out other factors. Willis said doctors told him that the condition is easily treatable. He'll start on a course of treatment immediately, though it wasn't immediately known whether he'll stay back in Florida, go back to Detroit, or go home. Team president/general manager Dave Dombrowski was reluctant to comment on specifics, citing medical privacy laws. He agreed, however, that the condition is treatable. "It's been something that our doctors have discovered," Dombrowski said, "and we've been working on it for a while to try to make sure exactly what this is." --snip-- Dombrowski pointed out that the Tigers consulted with the Commissioner's Office before making the move. He said he had not dealt with a player with this condition until now in his career as a GM. "In order to place somebody on the disabled list, it has to be an accepted medical condition, or the Commissioner's Office would not accept it," Dombrowski said. "And they have accepted this."

David Pinto points to this Detroit News report that there's really no blood test that would lead to a diagnosis of anxiety disorder, or any other psychiatric disorder. Which isn't to say that Willis doesn't have a real problem that merits a real spot on the real disabled list. But as I said last week in a long interview/podcast about (mostly) the Tigers, the Tigers owe Willis too much money to just release him, and at the same time it's abundantly clear that he's not currently able to actually, you know, pitch. Which usually leaves just one option: the DL. And you can always find a doctor who can find something wrong with a guy. Especially a guy who's a pitcher. And I happen to think there is something physically wrong with Willis. I just doubt if it's something anyone can fix. We're all pulling for Willis to get his career back together. It sure is hard to see a happy ending to this story, though.