The Detroit Tigers Have Placed Former #1 Overall Pick Case Mize On The IL With An Elbow Strain

This is a rough one. Anytime you hear the word "elbow" mentioned regarding a starting pitcher being put on the injured list, it doesn't exactly warm your heart. You don't want to jump to conclusions here, but it's safe to assume the Tigers will be extremely cautious with their former number 1 pick. The last thing you want to see is for someone to get injured, and you especially don't want to see that injury happen to a player that many people believed was going to be a vital part of the Tigers' future, but in a bizarre twist of fate, I don't find myself panicking. Whether Mize is out for several weeks or several months, I think the Tigers have done a good enough job of building up pitching depth over the last several years to weather this storm. Now don't get me wrong, a rotation with Casey Mize in it is a lot more appealing than one that doesn't feature him, but I'm not quite at the "sky is falling" phase of this season (though, if you ask me in a few weeks, I may have changed my tune).

I completely understand the frustration that so many Tigers fans are feeling right now. This feels like another hurdle in a young season that has already been full of them. For such a young team, the Tigers have experienced more injuries than almost any team in the American League. The bullpen has been decimated. Kyle Funkhouser, Andrew Chafin, and Jose Cisnero are yet to pitch a single inning for Detroit this year. Riley Greene, the Tigers' 2019 first-round pick who was tearing it up in the Spring, is still on the IL with a broken foot. Even Robbie Grossman and Javier Baez, while not technically on the injured list, have missed time already this season because of injuries. You can now add Mize to that list of players who will be out for a while. 

I'm weirdly not pulling my hair out here because I trust the Tigers' ability to handle their young staff. Injuries are sadly a part of the game, especially when it comes to pitchers. There have been instances in which I felt like Detroit did a poor job of monitoring their young talent. Despite finding a home in the bullpen, Michael Fulmer is the first example that comes to mind. I would feel more frustrated if I felt like the organization played a part in this injury, which we don't know the extent of yet. He could be back pitching in a few weeks, and we will all be able to laugh it off. But Detroit has handled Mize well. They didn't rush him to the big leagues, they didn't overuse him, and they monitored his innings. Sometimes you can do everything right and just run into back luck. I hope that good luck comes Detroit's way one of these years. Wouldn't that be something? Get well, Casey.