Detroit — After essentially two days off — the rainout Sunday in Kansas City and the first off day of the season Monday — it seemed like a good day to take stock of the Tigers’ ever-lengthening injured list.
►Casey Mize, RHP, right medial elbow sprain: He’s had a series of tests done since he reported the soreness on Friday but the diagnosis hasn’t changed.
“It’s a medial elbow sprain,” manager AJ Hinch said. “That’s what it is. That’s what it will be tomorrow.”
There is still hope the injury will resolve itself relatively quickly and Mize won’t miss more than one or two starts. But that might be overly optimistic.
“He will continue to be day-to-day until we know more,” Hinch said. “We have to treat the symptoms and while he has symptoms we’re going to keep him shut down. When he will be able to start throwing again, that will be the key.
“I don’t know when that is.”
►Matt Manning, RHP, shoulder discomfort: The Tigers have not yet put him on the injured list. The hope is that in the next day or two, the soreness will abate. But even if it does, Hinch hinted that he might still miss his next scheduled start — which would be Saturday.
“The initial diagnosis is positive,” Hinch said. “It doesn’t appear to be anything that’s going to linger or last a long time. The big question is whether he would be available for his start on Saturday. Right now, we’ll probably err on the side of caution but we haven’t made that determination yet.
“But it’s hard to leave your start early (after two innings) and have shoulder soreness, even if it’s mild. It begs us to be careful with him.”
Right-hander Michael Pineda, who threw a bullpen Tuesday, is expected to be activated and make his Tigers debut on Thursday. Tarik Skubal is scheduled to start Friday against the Rockies. It hasn’t been determined, Hinch said, who would start Saturday if Manning is scratched.
►Andrew Chafin, LHP, left groin strain: The news is finally encouraging for the Tigers’ $13 million lefty reliever. He’s been asymptomatic after a 30-pitch bullpen and a subsequent live batting practice session. He will make a rehab outing at Low-A Lakeland on Thursday. If that goes well, he will be transferred to Triple-A Toledo, where Hinch said he would pitch in one or two games before being an option for the Tigers.
►Javier Báez, SS, right thumb soreness: He’s still not able to take batting practice but the Tigers hope he can be activated when the 10 days are up — on Saturday.
“Part of it is to make sure there is no further damage and we feel pretty good about that,” Hinch said. “The other part is (pain) tolerance. … Our concern at the end of the Kansas City series was a lack of strength. Once we determined he didn’t have the same hand strength, we needed to put him on the injured list.”
Willi Castro was called up from Toledo to take Báez’s spot on the roster. Castro got the start at shortstop Tuesday.
“Willi can play and he can help us win,” Hinch said. “Last year he was our Opening Day shortstop. We’re going to give him another opportunity. Hopefully he steps up.”
►Derek Hill, CF, right hamstring strain: His rehab assignment was moved from Lakeland to Toledo on Monday.
►Kyle Funkhouser, RHP, right shoulder (lat) strain: The process is going extremely slow. He hasn’t thrown off a mound since being shut down on the first day of spring training.
Finding form
Tigers left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez hasn’t lasted beyond four innings in his first two starts, facing a two high-octane, right-handed hitting dominant lineups in the White Sox and Red Sox.
One of the pitches he uses to neutralize right-handed hitters is the cutter and in the small sample, it’s let him down. Right-handed hitters are 3-for-7 against it with a pair of doubles.
“I feel like my cutter is there,” Rodriguez said. “I feel like all my pitches are there. I just need to mix it in there better and work it into a little better location. I feel like I threw a pretty good bullpen (between starts) and I feel like I’ve found the point I need to be.
“The location has been the issue.”
He will face another strong, and familiar, right-handed hitting lineup Wednesday, the Yankees. The former Red Sox has faced the Yankees 23 times, posting an 8-6 record and 3.72 ERA.
“No matter what team I face, I always go in with the same mentality,” he said. “I don’t see any difference. I’m just going to go out and pitch.”
cmccosky@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @cmccosky
Yankees at Tigers
►First pitch: 6:40 p.m. Wednesday, Comerica Park, Detroit
►TV/radio: BSD/97.1
SCOUTING REPORT
►RHP Luis Severino (1-0, 2.25), Yankees: This will be his third start and maybe the first without any innings or pitch restrictions. He’s gone three and five innings in his first two starts, striking out 11 in those eight innings. His four-seamer is as firm as ever (97-98 mph) and he’s throwing more cutters this year along with his change-up and slider.
►LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (0-1, 5.87), Tigers: It’s a small sample, for sure, but the Tigers ace has given up a lot of loud contract through two starts — average exit velocity on batted balls is a robust 95 mph. One pitch that hasn’t come around for him yet, an important pitch, too, is the cutter. It’s a pitch he uses to neutralize right-handed hitters, and they are 3-for-7 against it with two doubles.