The Detroit Tigers suffered a potentially devastating scare on Tuesday night when right-hander Casey Mize abruptly exited the game against the Los Angeles Angels after appearing to suffer an injury while throwing four shutout innings with six strikeouts, as reported by Evan Petzold of The Detroit Free Press.
Mize, who was named to the American League All-Star squad last year for the Tigers, immediately became the focus of concern as Detroit trainers and manager A.J. Hinch came to the mound during the game.
“Casey Mize is done after four strong innings,” beat reporter Chris McCosky posted on X. “We await the diagnosis. This was his third start back from the groin strain. Two runs allowed in 16 2/3 innings,” according to The Detroit News.
Beat writer Evan Woodbery of MLive added that Mize’s combined line across all three starts since returning from the IL read 16 2/3 innings, eight hits, two runs, both earned, one walk, and 14 strikeouts — before he departed with apparent injury concerns, per @evanwoodbery.
Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic first flagged the concerning in-game development, reporting that the broadcast caught Mize consulting with a trainer before heading down the dugout stairs, with reliever Drew Anderson already warming in the bullpen, according to an update posted to Stavenhagen’s social media. The Tigers announced that Mize “left with right groin tightness. He is under evaluation,” Stavenhagen reported as the game entered the seventh inning with the Tigers leading 3-0.
Mize Injury History Has Defined Detroit Tigers Career
The 29-year-old Springville, Alabama, native was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft out of Auburn University, a right-hander who arrived with a devastating split-finger fastball, advanced command, and velocity that consistently registered in the upper 90s. Eight years after Detroit made him the top pick in the draft, injuries have defined his story as much as his talent.
He posted a 3.71 ERA in 150.1 innings in 2021 — the one full season that looked like the beginning of something — then blew out his elbow, underwent Tommy John surgery in June 2022, and missed the remainder of that year and all of 2023. A 2024 return brought further setbacks, with a right adductor strain in spring training followed by a left hamstring injury that cost him nearly three months. Last season he logged 149 innings with a 3.87 ERA, earned an All-Star appearance as an injury replacement, and entered 2026 looking like a pitcher who had finally put the worst of it behind him.
Mize’s 2026 Numbers and What His Health Means for the Detroit Tigers
Before Tuesday’s exit, Mize had been one of the more productive starters in the American League. In eight starts across 43.2 innings, he carried a 2.47 ERA, a 0.985 WHIP, and a career-high 8.9 strikeouts per nine innings, per Baseball Reference. His 1.9 WAR made him one of the few genuine bright spots for a Tigers club that has leaned heavily on Tarik Skubal to anchor the rotation.
Mize is signed through 2026 at $6.15 million and hits free agency after the season. The severity of Tuesday’s injury will shape Detroit’s rotation plans as the Tigers struggle to get back into the playoff picture, and determine the market for a legitimate frontline arm with a medical history that any interested club will examine closely before making an offer.
Casey Mize Exits Tigers Game After Injury vs. Angels