ARLINGTON, Texas — Detroit Tigers right-hander Casey Mize, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft, completed a 15-pitch bullpen before Wednesday’s game against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field.
All 15 pitches were fastballs.
“It feels good,” Mize said.
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch was fired up after the brief outing.
“That was incredible,” Hinch said. “He was energized. He took it very seriously. He dove right into his delivery and the pitch shapes. He took a very Casey Mize-approach to his program. It was fun to see.”
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It was Mize’s first official bullpen in his throwing program after completing two “short box” bullpens at Comerica Park.
The 26-year-old underwent Tommy John surgery, the reconstruction of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, on June 15, 2022. After that, he underwent back surgery to fix an issue he had been dealing with for years.
“I’m proud of him,” Hinch said. “This has not been an easy path for him. It’s not been linear. It’s not been easy. It’s not been exactly as we thought it was going to go, and he just keeps tackling the challenge. Today was probably a reward for his mind, as well as it was for his arm and his back, in being able to complete a successful bullpen.”
While in Texas, Mize met with Dr. Keith Meister — who performed his Tommy John surgery — for a scheduled checkup. The recovery process can take anywhere between 12 to 18 months.
It has been 378 days, or 12 months and 13 days, since Mize’s elbow surgery.
“He told me to stay the course,” Mize said. “Everything looking good, everything feels good.”
Left-hander Tarik Skubal, who underwent flexor tendon surgery in August 2022, threw his first bullpen on April 30. Skubal, like Mize, threw 15 fastballs in his first bullpen. After five rehab starts (June 4-28), he could return to the Tigers’ starting rotation in the first week of July.
Could Mize complete a rehab assignment and return to the Tigers this season, even if it’s not until September?
“That’s a really long time from now,” Hinch said, “so I don’t know what the rest of the year holds for him, but today was an important step for him for a lot of reasons.”
Successful surgery
Left-hander Matthew Boyd underwent successful Tommy John surgery Wednesday morning in Texas. Meister, the head team physician for the Rangers, performed the procedure.
In a three-day span, Boyd left his start with elbow discomfort, was diagnosed with a partial sprain of his ulnar collateral ligament and completed surgery.
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Boyd, who signed a one-year, $10 million contract in the offseason, finished the 2023 season with a 5.45 ERA, 25 walks (8.3% walk rate) and 73 strikeouts (24.1% strikeout rate) across 71 innings in 15 starts.
Garrett Hill returns
The Tigers recalled right-handed reliever Garrett Hill from Triple-A Toledo before Wednesday’s game. Left-handed reliever Anthony Misiewicz, who allowed three runs and recorded one out in Tuesday’s game, was optioned to the Mud Hens.
It was Misiewicz’s first appearance for the Tigers after being claimed off waivers June 18 from the Arizona Diamondbacks.
“He was so excited and wanted to make a good first impression,” Hinch said. “That didn’t go well. The state of our bullpen was not in good shape, so the need for the fresh arm was there.”
Hill, 27, has a 8.49 ERA with 10 walks and 11 strikeouts across 11⅔ innings in seven games with the Tigers and a 4.55 ERA with 22 walks and 44 strikeouts across 31⅔ innings in 18 games with the Mud Hens.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold.