DETROIT -- Tigers pitcher Jeremy Bonderman likely will miss the rest of the season after undergoing medical procedures related to a blood clot.
The condition was discovered Friday in a vein in Bonderman's pitching shoulder. He underwent a procedure to break up the clot that night before having an angioplasty Saturday morning at the Detroit Medical Center.
"I'm sore, but I'm all right," said Bonderman, who visited the clubhouse after Saturday's win over Cleveland. "I'm done for a while, I know that."
The blood clot was caused by thoracic outlet compression syndrome.
"Think of the vein like a straw, and it was pinched," Tigers trainer Kevin Rand said. "That's what thoracic syndrome does."
The same ailment sidelined fellow Tigers pitcher Kenny Rogers for much of the 2007 season.
"He's been through it, so I know it is something I can come back from," Bonderman said. "If I miss the rest of the year, I'll come back healthy and I'll have a fresh arm."
The right-hander, who is 3-4 with a 4.29 ERA in 12 starts this season, was placed on the 15-day disabled list before Saturday's game.
"If surgery is in fact indicated, he will probably be lost for the season," Rand said. "Saying anything other than that is speculation, because there's too many further examinations to be done."
Bonderman will be replaced in the rotation by rookie
Armando Galarraga, who went 4-2 in eight starts while filling in for Dontrelle Willis.
"Times like this is when you find out about your team and how tough you are," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "We feel bad for Jeremy Bonderman, obviously, but it is in the proper hands and it will get taken care of."
The Tigers hung Bonderman's jersey in the dugout during Saturday's game, a move he jokingly acknowledged.
"I told them that I'm not dead yet," he said. "But that's great -- I didn't know about it until I got here, but that shows you what a family this is."