In the heart of Cleveland, Tigers pitcher Jack Flaherty found himself in a bit of a predicament. Ideally, he would have liked a little more time to see if his left leg could bounce back, but reality had other plans. Four hours before game time on Saturday, Flaherty was out on the field, gingerly testing his leg with some light throwing.
“It felt better today, I figured it would,” Flaherty mentioned, but deep down he understood the bigger picture. The team couldn’t afford to be short-handed in such a crucial series, so the decision was made.
The Tigers placed Flaherty on the 15-day injured list due to a left peroneal strain. This injury affects the tendons running along the outside of the ankle, a tricky spot for any athlete.
Flaherty had exited his start after just three innings on Friday, plagued by discomfort in his lower leg. “It was just bugging me,” he admitted.
“Trying to figure out when it happened. It may have been when I slipped there in the first inning.
But my command there in the second inning wasn’t the same as it was in the first.”
The Guardians capitalized, scoring two runs with two outs in the second inning. Flaherty noticed the difference in his performance, noting, “Talking between innings, I wasn’t finishing my pitches the same way after the first.
My mechanics weren’t the same. It was a lot of discomfort.”
Despite a rocky start to the season, Flaherty had been finding his rhythm, so this setback was particularly frustrating. Speaking to the media before the IL decision was confirmed, he kept his focus on the present.
“I can’t let myself get too far ahead and think about the what-ifs,” he said. “Just play it hour by hour, day by day and see how it feels.”
With Flaherty out, the Tigers’ rotation is undergoing some changes. The timing coincides with the return of Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize.
To make room for Skubal, Ty Madden was optioned to Triple-A Toledo. Another roster move is on the horizon to fit Mize in on Sunday.
For Saturday’s matchup, the Tigers called up infielder Hao-Yu Lee from Toledo, looking to add a right-handed bat against Guardians’ lefty starter Joey Cantillo. The current rotation lineup features Skubal, Mize, Framber Valdez, Keider Montero, and Troy Melton. Meanwhile, Justin Verlander, still working through his rehab assignment, threw a bullpen session before Saturday’s game.
As for Verlander’s next move, the Tigers have yet to decide if his start on Tuesday will be a simulated game or another minor-league rehab outing. It seems unlikely he’ll be activated for the upcoming series against the Astros in Houston, but the final decision is still pending