DETROIT -- The resurgent season of Casey Mize has been put on pause for now. The Tigers placed their right-handed starter on the 15-day injured list Saturday with a mild left hamstring strain.
Mize sustained the injury in his last start on Thursday at Colorado, where he tossed six innings of one-run, three-hit ball with no walks and eight strikeouts to improve to 6-1 with a 2.53 ERA this season. The move is retroactive to May 9, meaning he’ll be eligible to return as soon as May 24, in the middle of a potentially big four-game division clash with the Guardians.
The Tigers aren’t putting a timetable on Mize’s return, but manager A.J. Hinch suggested the injury is minor.
“In his last inning in Colorado, he felt a little sensation, a little tweak that everybody thought was dehydration,” Hinch said. “Turns out it’s a little something, very mild. He probably wasn’t going to make the start on Tuesday, which puts us in a tough spot on how long to carry the unknown. In May, we’re certainly going to be careful with that, but we expect it to be fine in a short period of time.”
Mize missed two months last season with a left hamstring strain, though he might have been ready before his time on the 60-day injured list was up. This is a different injury, according to Hinch.
The Tigers will have to slot another starter for next Tuesday against the Red Sox. The likely candidate is Keider Montero, who has already jumped back and forth from Triple-A Toledo to make four starts for Detroit this season, including the other end of Thursday’s doubleheader sweep of the Rockies. Montero would be on his regular four days’ rest for Tuesday.
For now, the Tigers are filling Mize’s spot with bullpen depth, recalling sidearming right-hander Chase Lee from Toledo. Lee allowed a run on three hits over 6 1/3 innings with three walks and six strikeouts over his first Major League stint before the Tigers optioned him between games of Thursday’s doubleheader. Normally, he would have to wait 10 days to return, but replacing an injured player allows the Tigers to bypass that restriction.