While the good news for the San Diego Padres is that they qualified for the MLB Postseason for the third straight year, the bad news is that they’re missing a key part of their rotation that they acquired earlier in the season from the Detroit Tigers.
Pitcher Casey Mize was recently transferred to the 15-Day Injured List because of an ankle sprain, putting his availability for their upcoming series in doubt.
Former Detroit Tigers Pitcher Casey Mize Lands On 15-Day DL With Padres
Despite his acquisition by the Padres to help boost their rotation, Mize has been a disappointment thus far, racking up an ERA of just under 8.0 in 10 starts since the trade.
Mize was originally hurt in a freak accident in which he slipped on the dugout steps in August.
“Just so frustrating to deal with, you know, the ankle injury,” Mize said after his start on Friday. “It’s just not allowing me to move my lower half like I want. I guess I haven’t put anything behind the ball and to finish pitches and execute. It’s certainly been frustrating.”
According to Padres manager Greg Stammen, there was some hope that given his track record, the month of October would be more productive for the veteran arm.
“He hasn’t been who he was previously in the season,” Stammen said. “But he’s got a track record of being a very solid major league pitcher for a long time. … There are ups and downs throughout the season. And right now he’s just in a little down period. But we’ve got a week left in the season. He’s probably got one more start left. We value him as a big piece of our pitching staff.”
“It’s just obvious that I’m not able to consistently put good ones together like I was early for the first two-thirds of the season or whatever,” Mize said. “This is a great team, and they deserve a lot better than what I’ve been giving them. But I’m giving everything I got, man. I’m laying it all out there every time, every pitch, and unfortunately it just hasn’t been good enough for myself or for this team. And I’m gonna keep doing that, keep freaking working at it and giving everything I got.
Casey Mize Was Acquired By The Padres From The Tigers
The Tigers dealt Mize along with infielder/outfielder Gage Workman to San Diego, and received highly regarded left-handed pitching prospect Kash Mayfield and left-hander Jackson Wolf in return.
A Springville, Alabama, native, Casey Mize was selected by the Tigers with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft. He made his major league debut two years later and has since compiled a 28-32 record with a 4.00 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 460 strikeouts between Detroit and San Diego.
Mize avoided arbitration with the Tigers by agreeing to a one-year, $6.125 million contract for the 2026 season. He is set to reach unrestricted free agency once the season comes to an end.
So far this season, Mize has gone 6-10 with a 4.32 ERA, a 1.23 WHIP, and has 110 strikeouts.
Former Tigers Pitcher Casey Mize Gets Bad News From Padres