The Detroit Tigers are approaching their series opener against the Washington Nationals.
But shortly before their first matchup, the Tigers announced that two of their players have now been placed on the injured list.
Detroit Tigers Lose 2 Players to IL Before Nationals Game
As reported by Tigers PR (via X), right-hander Troy Melton is on the 15-day IL due to right arm fatigue.
Infielder Colt Keith is now on the 10-day IL with a left thumb sprain.
RHP Troy Melton has been placed on the 15-day injured list with right arm fatigue.
INF Colt Keith has been placed on the 10-day injured list (retro to September 20) with a left thumb sprain.
Before heading to the injured list, 25-year-old Melton was riding a 2.76 ERA and 94 strikeouts across 114.1 innings pitched through 20 starts.
He’s walked 37 batters.
This marks Melton’s second season in the major leagues.
By the end of his 2025 campaign with the Tigers, he had registered a 2.76 ERA and 36 strikeouts across 45.2 innings of work through 16 games, starting four.
Melton was selected 117th overall in the fourth round of the 2022 MLB draft.
As for 25-year-old Keith, he is slashing .258/.322/.406 with a .728 OPS and 10 homers through 140 games.
He’s logged 19 doubles, four triples and 36 RBIs along the way.
For reference, by the time his 2025 campaign wrapped up, he was slashing .256/.333/.413 with a .746 OPS and 13 homers through 137 games.
That year, he posted 22 doubles, two triples and 48 RBIs.
Keith has had a bit of a drop in production at the plate this season.
With Melton and Keith now out of commission, the organization has called up right-hander River Ryan from Triple-A Toledo, along with infielder Jace Jung.
Detroit Tigers Promote Ryan and Jung on Monday
While in the minors this season, Ryan has a 4.39 ERA and 47 strikeouts across 41.0 innings pitched through 10 starts.
His MLB debut took place in July 2024 after being picked 340th overall in the 11th round of the 2021 draft.
He has yet to appear in a major league game this season.
Jung brings more big-league experience to the plate.
He was selected 12th overall in the first round of the 2022 MLB draft.
A few years later, he went on to make his debut in August 2024.
This year, he’s stepped up for the Tigers in three games.
He is currently slashing .167/.375/.167 with a .542 OPS.
In Triple-A, he’s slashing .227/.344/.421 with a .765 OPS and 22 homers through 133 games.
Jung has recorded 26 doubles and 86 RBIs.
Although losing any player to the IL is far from ideal, this does open up opportunities for Ryan and Jung to claim the spotlight.
Following Detroit’s series opener against the Nationals, they will have two more games remaining in the series.
From there, they will round out their regular season with a three-game homestand against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Tigers are riding a 73-83 overall record.
Detroit Tigers Announce Frustrating Injury News Before Nationals Game