Houston — It was just a couple of days ago the Tigers were pondering using a six-man rotation and now, possibly, they are back down to just four healthy starters.
Right-hander Troy Melton was scratched right before the game Monday with back tightness.
“We are getting him evaluated,” manager AJ Hinch said. “He’s going to get the full work-up.”
Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize, who will start Wednesday, have come off the injured list. Jack Flaherty, with a tendon strain in his lower left leg, went on the injured list Saturday. It remains to be seen whether Melton will need to be shut down.
“Just out of the blue,” Hinch said. “But it is something he reported that we need to get checked out. We had been talking about finally having a full rotation and now a couple of things have happened. I don’t know the severity of it. I don’t know if there is a move coming. We just need to get him checked out to make sure everything is good moving forward.”
Melton missed spring training and the first two months with elbow inflammation. He made his debut May 24, and was 3-0, with a 2.81 ERA and 1.013 WHIP in four starts.
Hinch said the Tigers would deploy a bullpen game Monday, with right-hander Drew Anderson taking the ball first.
Veteran Justin Verlander threw a 66-pitch, four-inning simulated game here Monday. There is a chance he could slot back into the rotation as early as Saturday against the White Sox. But the Tigers have not made any official determination.
Chris.McCosky@detroitnews.com
@cmccosky
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Tigers starter Troy Melton scratched for Houston opener with back tightness
Reporting by Chris McCosky, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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By Chris McCosky, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
