The Tigers are making a small but meaningful tweak to their rotation, and it starts with Keider Montero.
Montero’s next turn has been pushed back at least four days after manager AJ Hinch said the club wants to give the right-hander a breather following his last outing Aug. 18 in Pittsburgh. That start lasted five stressful innings, and Montero’s recovery has been slower than expected.
His original assignment would have come Monday against Tampa Bay at Comerica Park. Now, the Tigers are planning to hold him out until the Aug. 28-30 series against the Dodgers.
“We’re paying attention to his recovery coming of his last outing,” Hinch said. “He had that long inning and the recovery hasn’t been fast…We’re just giving him a blow.
It’s not uncommon this time of year, especially with the off days coming up. We’re trying to be smart, pushing these guys when they need to be pushed, but also pulling back when they need to be pulled back.”
The move goes beyond simply sliding one starter back. Montero’s usual between-starts bullpen session, which would have happened Friday or Saturday, has also been scrapped.
“That’s one of the reasons we had to make the decision today,” Hinch said.
Because of that shuffle, Framber Valdez’s turn is changing too. Valdez had been set to start Sunday against the Royals, but the Tigers will instead use a bullpen game that day and move him to Monday’s series opener against the Rays.
“The options were to have the bullpen game the third game of a series or the first game of the next series,” Hinch said. “Do I really want to do a first-game bullpen game against a team we play the next three days and show your whole bullpen? No, we’ll do it the back end.”
Montero’s workload has already climbed to a career-high 133.2 innings this season, spread across 21 starts and six high-leverage bullpen appearances. For context, he threw 96 innings last year including the postseason, and 101 in 2024.
Hinch also said Jackson Jobe and Troy Melton will remain on regular rest. That keeps Jobe lined up to start Tuesday against the Rays, while Melton is positioned for the first game of the Dodgers series, depending on where the Tigers decide to place Montero back into the rotation.
In Other News...
Tigers Fans Are Split Over What The Numbers Say About Torkelson
Spencer Torkelson has become one of those players who can split a fan base without even changing positions. At first base, the advanced numbers have not been kind, with Statcasts Outs Above Average and Fielding Bibles Defensive Runs Saved both painting an unflattering picture, but plenty of viewers who watch him every day see something different. Broadcasters and some fans argue that he looks steadier and more reliable than the metrics suggest, which is part of why the discussion around his defense has been so lively.
That divide says as much about first base defense as it does about Torkelson. It remains one of the harder spots on the field to quantify cleanly, and the metrics used to judge it are still evolving, which leaves room for disagreement when the eye test and the numbers do not line up. For the Tigers, the bigger question is not whether the debate exists, but how much weight to give a stat line that many around the game still believe does not fully capture what happens on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Just Put James Outman In A Tough Spot
James Outmans latest stop with the Tigers turned into a brief one, even after Detroit brought him back from the seven-day concussion injured list. The club activated the outfielder and then designated him for assignment, a roster squeeze that came as Detroit selected left-hander Andrew Sears from Triple-A Toledo and sent Enmanuel De Jesus down.
Outman had already logged 45 games with the Tigers, but the bat never really caught up, leaving him vulnerable once the team needed room for Sears and his expected Major League debut. For Detroit, it was a straightforward organizational move on paper, but for Outman it leaves his next step hanging as the club recalibrates its pitching depth. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Are Giving A Promising Lefty A Real Chance To Stick
Andrew Sears is getting a legitimate look at the major league level, and it comes at a time when the Tigers are always searching for useful arms they can trust in the middle of a long season. The 23-year-old lefty, drafted in the 10th round in 2023, has worked his way back from an elbow injury and put together strong stretches at Triple-A Toledo, where his sinker-slider mix has played well and his changeup has kept moving in the right direction.
Now the Tigers are planning to use Sears as a bulk reliever in an upcoming bullpen game, which gives him a chance to show he can handle more than just a cameo. For a club that values pitchers who can miss bats and throw strikes, the recent gains in his command and strikeout rate make this a meaningful test, even if the assignment itself is only temporary for now. [Read more 🡒]