CLEVELAND – Guardians reliever Tyler Freeman suffered an oblique injury during a simulated game Sunday and was removed from the American League Division Series roster ahead of Game 2 against the Detroit Tigers on Monday.

Freeman was replaced by versatile rookie Ángel Martínez, who played 43 games for the AL Central champions that season but was left off the original 26-man playoff roster. Martínez played six different positions for Cleveland.

Manager Stephen Vogt said Freeman strained his left oblique muscle when he hit Ben Lively during free practice. Both teams practiced at Progressive Field, which was closed to members of the media.

“It happens,” Vogt said. “We just feel so much for Free. It’s been a tough few weeks for him and he’s been through a lot. He was a big part of our team’s success, was a big part of what we created all year. He We’re going to stick with us, but we had to change the roster and just really, really empathize with Tyler.

Freeman could have been an option for Vogt in this series after batting .385 (10 of 26) with three RBIs in 12 games against Detroit this season. Freeman also went 3 of 6 against Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, who started Game 2.

Vogt also confirmed that Alex Cobb will start Game 3 in Detroit on Wednesday. Cobb ended the regular season on the injured list with a blister on his right middle finger. He was acquired from San Francisco in a trade in July.