CHICAGO – Detroit Tigers right-hander Casey Mize needs another stint on the injured list.
The Tigers placed Mize on the 15-day injured list with right adductor inflammation Friday, May 29, before the first of three games in the series against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field, retroactive to Thursday.
The Tigers activated right-handed reliever Beau Brieske from the injured list to replace Mize.
“We actually feel really good with where he’s at, but it’s going to require a little bit of a slower week for him,” manager A.J. Hinch said before Friday’s game. “We’re going to be cautious with it because we’ve gone through this before.”
Mize isn’t eligible to return until June 12, so he will miss at least two starts. The 29-year-old recently missed nearly three weeks with the same injury, from April 29 to May 16.
The Tigers’ medical department is investigating why Mize suffered the same injury twice within 30 days.
“Is it delivery-related? Is it landing? Is it just part of pitching?” Hinch said. “We have our guys looking at it. We just have to get this out of the way.”
Meanwhile, Brieske returned from the 60-day injured list, sidelined with a left adductor strain since slipping on the mound while working on his delivery in spring training.
In 2025, Brieske had a 6.55 ERA with 12 walks and 16 strikeouts through 22 innings in 22 games.
Brieske appeared in seven games during a rehab assignment, including five games for Triple-A Toledo. For the Mud Hens, the 28-year-old allowed four runs on six hits and three walks with five strikeouts across 5⅔ innings, registering a 6.35 ERA.
“His stuff has actually been pretty good,” Hinch said. “He’s had a mishap here or there every game, and we’re trying to get to the bottom of that. We were going to give him another rep or two on his rehab assignment, but we don’t have that luxury right now. I told him to be ready to go.”
The Tigers created a spot on the 40-man roster for Brieske’s return by transferring left-handed reliever Brant Hurter to the 60-day injured list. He had been on the 15-day injured list since Saturday with lumbar spine inflammation.
Now, Hurter isn’t eligible to return to the Tigers until July 22.
“He’s somebody that I turn to quite a bit,” Hinch said of Hurter, who registered a 2.84 ERA over 25⅓ innings in 21 games before the back injury. “He can go one time through the order. He’s tough on lefties. He can pitch a lot.”
The Tigers need a starter to fill Mize’s spot in the rotation for Monday’s series opener on the road against the Tampa Bay Rays. When healthy, he has been one of the Tigers’ best starters, posting a 2.27 ERA across 47⅔ innings in nine starts.
Right-hander Ty Madden (right forearm contusion) is eligible to return Sunday from the injured list after completing a rehab start with Triple-A Toledo.
He is a candidate to start Monday in Mize’s place.
When Madden returns, whether it’s Sunday as a reliever against the White Sox or Monday as a starter against the Rays, the Tigers will need to option someone from the bullpen, such as right-handed reliever Ricky Vanasco.
“It’s somewhat tied to Casey and the rotation spot,” Hinch said of the plan for Madden’s usage, “so we’ll see how we map out the rest of the weekend into Monday, but he’s ready to go.”
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers’ Casey Mize lands on injured list; Beau Brieske returns
Reporting by Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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