After some speculation, Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch all but confirmed Alex Faedo’s return to the team Sunday in the series finale against the Padres.
“Alex Faedo will likely be the starter and we’ll confirm it after the game, but we’ve lined him up to be available and told him to be on standby today,” Hinch said.
Should Faedo get the call, it will mark his first start with the Tigers since July 7, a game that did not end in his favor. He was credited with the loss in a 12-2 game in which he gave up six hits, seven runs and one home run. Faedo was optioned to the Toledo Mud Hens the following day, just before the All-Star break. His sole outing with Toledo was July 18 against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, in which he pitched five innings, giving up just two hits and one run. He struck out nine batters in the outing as well.
Faedo joined the Tigers back on May 7 but was placed on the IL about a month later with right middle finger discomfort. In his five starts in May, Faedo posted a 5.54 ERA and a 1-3 record. His one victory came against the Chicago White Sox on May 25, in which he had a dominant performance, fanning 10 batters and allowing just three hits and two runs.
Faedo spent time with the Tigers in 2022 as well, posting a 5.53 ERA in 12 starts. The Tigers selected him in the first round back in 2017 and while he has shown some really strong flashes, he’s yet to put together a consistent run.
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Mize and Turnbull make progress
There’s still a long way to go, but step by step, the Tigers are getting closer to having some normalcy back in their pitching rotation. Hinch provided some pregame updates on starting pitchers Spencer Turnbull and Casey Mize Saturday after the two threw bullpen sessions.
Mize, who was placed on the 60-day IL preseason due to his recovery from Tommy John surgery, has been progressing and threw his bullpen session on Saturday.
“Over the break, we slowed him down a little bit, just to have some recovery,” Hinch said. “It was preplanned. There’s nothing going on with him other than this is part of his program. He’ll continue to throw. There are positive reviews. Fett’s (Tigers pitching coach Chris Fetter) talking about how well his delivery has synced up, body is moving better, stuff is coming out nice. He’s just he’s kind of just marking off calendar dates of successful rehab days, and we’ll continue to build off of that.”
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Turnbull, who the Tigers indicated would be sent down to Triple-A Toledo after a poor start in early May before eventually being placed on the IL with a neck injury, appears to be much closer to his return. No issues were reported from his bullpen session Friday, but Hinch wasn’t ready yet to give a concrete timetable for his return just yet.
“He’s here, obviously, we hope next he’s going to be in a game, so I know we’re talking to him about a couple of different options,” Hinch said. “We need to get him through another bullpen session and stuff like that, so that decision is coming soon.”
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Also close to rejoining the team is reliever Will Vest, who has been out with a right leg strain since late June. He is listed on the 15-day IL and threw a bullpen session yesterday. While there is no official word on when he’ll rejoin the team, he seems to be moving in the right direction.
Despite the various injuries to the pitching staff, the Tigers have been able to remain competitive in the AL Central division. The team has been roughly 10 games or so under .500 for much of the year, but because of the division they play in, still have a chance to make the playoffs.
Coming into Saturday’s game, the Tigers sit at 44-53 and are only six games behind the first-place Minnesota Twins. If the Tigers see more of their injured pitchers return, it could really help them make a push in the standings.
However, the MLB trade deadline is set for Aug. 1, and Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris will have some tough decisions to make soon. Both Eduardo Rodriguez and Michael Lorenzen could walk away for nothing this offseason, meaning the Tigers could be incentivized to look at deals for the two starters. So even as the Tigers continue to return more healthy pitchers, more uncertainty could ultimately be coming to their starting rotation.