HOUSTON – It’s never nothing.
The Detroit Tigers were surprised with more injury news Monday, June 15, before the opener of a three-game series against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park, scratching right-hander Troy Melton from his start with what manager A.J. Hinch described as “general back tightness.”
Melton was supposed to start Monday’s game.
“Out of the blue, but it’s something he reported that we need to get checked out,” Hinch said before Monday’s game. “I don’t know if there’s a move coming. We’ve got to get him checked out and make sure everything is OK moving forward.”
The severity of the injury is unknown.
Without Melton, the Tigers will turn to right-hander Drew Anderson as their starter in a bullpen-only game.
“We talked about having a full rotation back intact,” said Hinch, who found out about Melton’s injury roughly three hours before Monday’s game, “and then a couple of things have happened.”
The Tigers nearly had seven starters for five spots in the rotation – until Melton and right-hander Jack Flaherty (left peroneal strain) suffered injuries over the past few days.
Meanwhile, right-hander Justin Verlander completed a 66-pitch, four-inning simulated game before Monday’s game as the Tigers delay his return from left hip inflammation for performance reasons. The Melton injury, though, will force the Tigers to activate Verlander as their fifth starter, assuming Melton lands on the injured list.
Flaherty isn’t eligible to return until June 28.
Verlander is lined up to return for Saturday’s game against the Chicago White Sox at Comerica Park − his first start for the Tigers in Detroit since Aug. 20, 2017.
“Right after JV’s outing was when all of this other stuff went down,” Hinch said. “We accomplished what we needed to get his throwing in. From a symptom standpoint, he’s feeling better and better. That’s a good sign. Consistency in his delivery is something he’s working through.”
Melton owns a 2.81 ERA with six walks and 14 strikeouts across 25⅔ innings in four starts. The 25-year-old missed the first two months of the season with right elbow inflammation, which occurred in spring training.
For the rest of the series, left-hander Framber Valdez is scheduled to start Tuesday before right-hander Casey Mize starts Wednesday in his return from the injured list.
It will be Mize’s first start since May 27.
He has been sidelined for the second time this season with right adductor inflammation.
“It doesn’t change this series,” Hinch said, discussing the pitching plan. “Right now, I just want to deal with this series. We’ll deal with the White Sox when we get home.”
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers scratch Troy Melton from Monday’s start with injury
Reporting by Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
