Casey Mize Back on IL as Tigers Rotation Feels Strain

Casey Mize is back on the 15-day list-because-of-elbow-inflammation/">injured list after detroit/">Detroit placed the right-hander on the shelf Thursday with right adductor inflammation, a move made retroactive to May 28, per casey-mize-placed-on-il-beau-brieske-returns-tigers" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">the official transaction report and confirmed game coverage. Mize left his May 27 start against the Angels after four scoreless innings because of discomfort in his right groin area.

That puts more pressure on the Detroit Tigers rotation, especially because Casey Mize had been one of the club’s steadiest arms. He carried a 2.27 ERA through nine starts when the move was made, giving Detroit a tough loss in a staff that has already been stretched.

A.J. Hinch said this flare-up appears less significant than the adductor issue Casey Mize dealt with in Atlanta earlier this season, but Detroit still chose the injured list because Mize needed a slower recovery week and the schedule did not leave room to simply skip one turn. The retroactive date means Mize is not eligible to return until June 12, as noted in the Detroit Free Press report carried on Yahoo Sports.

Beau Brieske was activated from the 60-day injured list to take Casey Mize’s roster spot, while Brant Hurter was transferred to the 60-day injured list with lumbar spine inflammation to open space on the 40-man roster, per Detroit’s roster update.

Casey Mize first went on the 15-day injured list April 29 with a right adductor strain after leaving a start in Atlanta on April 28. Hinch described that earlier injury as a mild Grade 1 strain in Detroit’s April 29 injury update.

He avoided another injured-list move when the discomfort first resurfaced, but the problem was aggravated in his latest outing, according to the club’s May 29 update. The repeat injury has pushed Detroit’s medical staff to examine why the same area flared up again within about 30 days, including whether mechanics, landing, or the demands of pitching played a role, as detailed in the Free Press report.

Casey Mize will miss at least two starts if he remains out until his first eligible return date of June 12. The next question for Detroit is how the Tigers rotation covers those innings, and whether Brieske or another option gets pulled into a larger role while Mize works through another adductor recovery.