Chicago — Another day, another spin on the injury roulette wheel for the Tigers.
Starter Casey Mize, who left Wednesday night’s start with a groin injury that was officially diagnosed as right adductor inflammation, was placed on the injured list again Friday before the series opener against the White Sox.
Mize played catch Thursday and the Tigers are optimistic he won’t be out too long, possibly only missing one start. But given the state of the team, and the need for fresh arms, any fresh arms, they had to make a move.
“We’re in a stretch of games where we can’t wait,” Tigers manager AJ Hinch said Friday. “The transaction’s necessary so we don’t play short for a long period of time.
“(The injury) is hindering him, it’s not hindering his performance. He’s been awesome.
“We’re all very confident that (Mize’s injury is) very minor.”
Mize left Wednesday’s start after four innings, and is on the IL for the second time in less than a month after hurting his groin in a start at Atlanta late last month. It’s not yet clear who will take Mize’s start in the rotation Monday at Tampa Bay, though right-hander Ty Madden (right forearm contusion) is a possibility. Madden has joined the team in Chicago and is eligible to come off the IL on Sunday.
In the short-term, to take Mize’s place on the roster, the Tigers activated right-handed reliever Beau Brieske from the 60-day injured list. He’s been out since the spring with a right adductor strain.
Brieske is likely to make his 2026 Tigers debut at some point during the White Sox series, after making five appearances in a rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo. Hinch wanted another one or two, but, again, bodies.
“We don’t have that luxury right now,” Hinch said. “So I told (Brieske) to be ready to go.”
Brieske was key in the Tigers’ magical turnaround in 2024 before injuries derailed his 2025 season and the first two months of this season. On his rehab assignment, he had a 6.35 ERA over 5.2 innings.
To make room for Brieske on the 40-man roster, the Tigers placed left-handed reliever Brant Hurter (lumbar spine inflammation) on the 60-day IL. Hinch said that move was necessitated by the fact he’s going to need a period of being shut down, followed by a lengthy build back, so they could utilize the 60-day IL swap with Brieske.
The extended loss of Hurter takes another reliable weapon out of Hinch’s hands, at a time when he’s already getting pretty darn close to being empty-handed.
“Losing him for that period of time is tough,” Hinch said of Hurter, who also recently saw a specialist. “He’s someone that I turn to quite a bit. He can go one time through the order, he’s tough on lefties, he can pitch a lot.”
The Tigers’ entire roster is stressed by injures, but especially the bullpen, which lost closer Kenley Jansen to the IL on Thursday, also with a groin injury. Jansen saw a specialist Friday and will be with the team for its next series at Tampa Bay, continuing his rehab there. Hinch said he’s “encouraged” that Jansen hasn’t had to stop throwing.
Brieske was a 27th-round pick by the Tigers in 2019, and debuted for Detroit in 2022. He was especially effective in 2024, making 12 starts (as an opener) out of his 46 total appearances, posting a 3.59 ERA as a key cog in the Tigers’ so-called “pitching chaos” as they rallied to win a wild card.
Last season was rocky, as he had a 6.55 ERA in 22 appearances before he was demoted in June. He later landed on the injured list with a right forearm strain.
“He’s pitched some really important innings for us,” Hinch said. “He has not been forgotten.”
tpaul@detroitnews.com
@tonypaul1984
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Tigers activate reliever Beau Brieske, send Casey Mize to injured list
Reporting by Tony Paul, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
