Casey Mize will pause his rehab assignment, the Tigers announced. They’re not calling it a setback, but Mize’s rough start for Triple-A Toledo on Thursday gave them reason to believe he’s not ready to return to action.
“Casey’s going back to Lakeland. We’re going to slow him down a little bit,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “We’re treating the symptoms. He still doesn’t quite feel like he can let go and do full-throttle bullpens or competitions, so we need to dial it back a little bit.”
His start for Toledo was supposed to be the first in a series of rehab outings, but he gave up three singles, a Jake Bauers three-run home run and hit a batter before being pulled with two outs in the first inning.
Mize will return to the Tigers’ Spring Training facility in Lakeland, Fla., where he’ll throw bullpen sessions and work on his arm.
“We’re going to be very, very slow with this,” Hinch said. “We’re not going to work backwards from any sort of timeline [for an expected return]. We have to treat the symptoms, and the fact that he’s not letting to go and not feeling 100 percent, we’re not going to let him pitch.”