Detroit — Slowly but surely, the Tigers’ starting rotation is getting healthier. Casey Mize was set to make his second start back from injury Thursday.
And Troy Melton is poised to be the next to rejoin the mix.
Melton, the right-hander who’s been out all year with right elbow inflammation, does not need another rehab start, Tigers manager AJ Hinch said Thursday. He was back in the team’s clubhouse before the series finale against the Cleveland Guardians, He threw a bullpen session before the game, and will be eligible to come off the injured list Sunday in Baltimore. Hinch wasn’t committing to Melton’s return that date, but it is possible.
That would be Keider Montero’s scheduled turn in the rotation. A decision will come Saturday night, Hinch said.
“No decision has been made yet,” Hinch said. “He’s fully ready to go. We consider him fully rehabbed.”
Melton has made four rehab appearances, including three for Low-A Lakeland and one for Triple-A Toledo. The Tigers have officially listed Sunday’s starter in Baltimore as “TBD.”
The progress continues to be slow for Justin Verlander, who threw a bullpen session Wednesday of about 60 pitches. It was a session where the velocity was down, in the low 90s, told the tail end of it.
Hinch said Verlander is “inching forward more than sprinting forward, and that’s OK.”
“We all want it for him. He wants it badly to advance,” Hinch said of Verlander, who’s made one start this season in his return to the Tigers, before landing on the IL with hip inflammation. “I think that you see flashes of him regaining that spring-training form, where we really liked where he was at in the spring.
“No steps back is a good thing, you know. Do we want to take a quantum leap? Yes.
“Is his ready for competition? No.”
Verlander can come off the IL in early June, though it remains unclear if he’ll return when eligible.
On deck: Baltimore Orioles
Series: Three games, Friday-Sunday, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore
First pitch: Friday — 7:15 p.m.; Saturday — 4:05 p.m.; Sunday — 1:35 p.m.
TV/radio: Friday — Apple TV; Saturday-Sunday — Detroit SportsNet; all three games on 97.1 FM
Series probables: Friday — RHP Jack Flaherty (0-5, 5.77) vs. RHP Chris Bassitt (3-3, 5.44); Saturday — LHP Framber Valdez (2-3, 4.58) vs. RHP Brandon Young (3-1, 4.25); Sunday — TBD vs. LHP Trevor Rogers (2-5, 6.87)
Scouting report
Flaherty, Tigers: It’s been an awful season, in large part because of the wildness. In 43.2 innings, Flaherty has walked 29 and hit five batters. In 2024 with the Tigers, Flaherty walked 19 and hit three batters in 106.2 innings.
Bassitt, Orioles: Little has worked out for Baltimore this season, including the free-agent signing of Bassitt, who is a negative-WAR player so far in 2026. He’s allowed four earned runs or more in five of his nine starts.
tpaul@detroitnews.com
@tonypaul1984
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Tigers rotation updates: Troy Melton ready to go, Justin Verlander not
Reporting by Tony Paul, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
