The Detroit Tigers face significant challenges as starting pitcher Casey Mize and center fielder Javy BĂĄez are likely heading to the injured list due to injuries sustained in a recent game. Both players expressed optimism about their recovery, but the team is now testing its minor league depth.
Casey Mize suffered right side groin tightness, while Javy BĂĄez rolled his right ankle during a slide into first base.
Both players are anticipated to be out for at least a few weeks, but they expressed optimism that their injuries are not long-term.
Potential replacements for Mize include Sawyer Gipson-Long and Brant Hurter, while Zach McKinstry is expected to fill in for BĂĄez.
The injuries to Mize and BĂĄez could significantly test the Tigers' roster depth, as they struggle with minor league options and overall team performance.

RaĂșl MartĂn Presa del Rayo Vallecano denuncia una gran injusticia en el fĂștbol español.
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The bigger issue here is obviously the loss of Casey Mize. Weâll get to BĂĄez and the position players options in a moment, but in terms of starting pitching, the Tigers have little to offer right now on the farm system. Their two Triple-A starters on the 40-man roster are right-handers Sawyer Gipson-Long and Ty Madden. The former returned late last season from Tommy John surgery, and then had a minor injury in spring camp as well. Now healthy, heâs at least got a good changeup and a solid slider to work with, but until his fastball command and velocity returns his fourseam-sinker combination is likely to get pulverized by major league hitters. Madden has a slew of solid secondary pitches, but he too hasnât gotten his velocity back after a shoulder injury that cost him most of the 2025 season. Veteran left-handed starter Bryan Sammons has been home run prone and isnât really a major league option for more than a spot start. He would need a 40-man roster spot too, and just doesnât seem like a viable option. Perhaps he could piggyback with someone like Drew Anderson and do alright for a few starts, but this is really a last resort. More likely, is that the Tigers could call up lefty Enmanuel de Jesus to the bullpen, and use left-hander Brant Hurter in a spot starter role. Hurter has pitched well, and has the sinker to keep opposing hitters on the ground. That could work on a short-term basis. Beyond that, weâll just have to see how long Mize is anticipated to be out for. Justin Verlander and Troy Melton are both coming off successful bullpens, but Melton isnât eligible to return from the 60-day injured list until May 25. Verlander only made one start before a hip injury shut him down, so even if heâs ready to go out on a rehab assignment, heâs going to need 2-3 starts to stretch out, taking this into mid-May at the earliest.
The obvious answer for BĂĄezâs injury is to reinstate utilityman Zach McKinstry from the injured list. After a collision with the Royalsâ Jac Caglione on April 15, the versatile left-handed hitter went to the injured list with what was described as left hip and abdominal inflammation. There wasnât any uderlying issues reported, and so, with McKinstry taking live batting practice on Tuesday, he seems about ready to return. That gives the Tigers a backup for Kevin McGonigle at shortstop and Gleyber Torres at second base, with Hao-Yu Lee remaining on the roster to hit lefties and play third base and perhaps a bit of second base as well. McKinstry can also play corner outfield, which helps as Wenceel PĂ©rez and Matt Vierling will be tasked with holding down center field until BĂĄez returns. Obviously, going from Parker Meadows to BĂĄez/PĂ©rez/Vierling, to now just PĂ©rez and now Vierling, isnât going to be good for a club that was already average at best defensively If McKinstry isnât quite ready, the options are thin. Trei Cruz, a switch-hitting utilityman who is essentially McKinstry-lite, though with the added ability to play a solid center field, is already injured down in Triple-A. The Tigers donât release information on most minor league injuries, so we donât even have an estimate on when he might be available.Prospect Max Anderson, who fits into a similar profile as Lee, is also injured with the Mud Hens. Jace Jung can play around the infield other than at shortstop, but otherwise the other options for infield help all involve adding veteran minor leaguers like third baseman Gage Workman, or shortstops Max Burt or Andrew Navigato. In center field, the only real viable option for center field help until Trei Cruz returns is Ben Malgeri, who can handle himself out there alright and perhaps would hit well enough against left-handed pitching to fill BĂĄezâs shoes on a short-term basis. Still, adding any of those players likely forces a minor league pitcher off the 40-man roster, complicating these contingencies even further. Further down the path, the Tigersâ expect top prospect Max Clark to contribute, but they also donât want to mess with his development. The 21-year-old only just reached the Triple-A level this spring. He still needs more seasoning as a hitter and a defender before the Tigers are going to be willing to move him up to the major leagues.
Of course, the Tigers canât just hang their heads and feel sorry for themselves either. Plenty of teams around the league have already been ravaged by injuries, and thatâs just a cost of doing business year in and year out. The BĂĄez loss isnât so dire, but replacing Mize is going to be difficult. With Jack Flaherty currently lost in space, the Tigersâ rotation has remained a strength anyway because Mize and Keider Montero have done a fine job backing up Tarik Skubal and Framber Valdez. For at least a few weeks, the Tigers are going to have to piece something together despite an already scuffling bullpen group until Verlander and Melton become available. The problem is that the significant amount of depth they had heading into the season was already winnowed down by injuries in the minor leagues, and by the struggles of guys like de Jesus and Anderson, who were expected to give the Tigersâ pitching staff depth and versatility. Their most advanced pitching prospects, lefties Jake Miller and Andrew Sears, havenât taken the field yet either and were still a level away from major league readiness in the first place. Hopefully, Mize and BĂĄezâs injuries wonât keep them out too long, but itâs probably unwise to expect either back until sometime in June. Potentially, BĂĄez or even Mize could end up on the 60-day injured list, altering the 40-man roster equation a bit. On a longer timeline, Verlander, Melton, and Max Clark give them hope for relief from these issues, but the Tigers are up against it for at least a few weeks. Someone, and probably multiple someones, are going to have to step up if the Tigers are going to get clear of the .500 line and really start making progress in May.