The Tigers got back to work after the break by taking two of three from the Angels in Los Angeles, but Sunday’s loss came with a scare that went well beyond the final score.
Casey Mize exited after 3.1 innings when a comebacker off the bat of Jo Adell struck his glove hand. The ball was scorched at 108.8 mph, and while Mize didn’t appear to be in major discomfort, Detroit had reason to be cautious immediately.
After the game, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reported that A.J. Hinch said Mize was also dealing with groin tightness along with the wrist pain.
The wrist, Hinch said, “will be ok.” Mize will undergo more rehab and tests on the groin, and the right-hander said he left the game as a precaution.
The team is calling him day-to-day, and further testing is scheduled for Monday, July 20. That’s a relief for a rotation that can’t really afford to lose another important arm while Detroit keeps pushing in the AL Central and the AL Wild Card race.
Mize has been one of the brighter spots on the staff when healthy, posting a 2.79 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP over 80.2 innings. But the numbers only tell part of the story now. The bigger concern is the pattern: groin tightness has already shown up twice this season, and that kind of recurring issue has a way of overshadowing everything else.
There’s also the bigger-picture angle for Detroit. Mize is set to reach free agency at season’s end, and if the Tigers want to keep him around, avoiding another stretch on the injured list matters. He’s been a dependable arm when available, but the injury interruptions keep piling up.
For now, the best outcome for Detroit is simple: a negative evaluation, no IL stint, and Mize making his next start.
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