MINNEAPOLIS — Detroit Tigers right-hander Reese Olson couldn’t find the best version of his slider. The location of his best pitch wasn’t sharp in a three-start stretch.
The 24-year-old rookie tweaked his slider heading into his most recent start, and as a result, he struck out eight batters and completed six scoreless innings for the first time in his 13-game MLB career.
“I made an adjustment with getting it more down instead of off the plate,” Olson said after Thursday’s 3-0 win over the Minnesota Twins at Comerica Park. “When it’s down, that seems to be where I get most of my chase and swing-and-miss, instead of off the plate. That’s going to be the focus going forward with the slider.”
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Six days later, Olson will face the Twins again. He is slated to start for the Tigers in Wednesday’s two-game series finale at Target Field. It marks the first time he has pitched against the same team in back-to-back starts in the big leagues.
Olson is scheduled to work with Jake Rogers as his catcher in the rematch against the Twins. He has a 4.45 ERA with 16 walks and 58 strikeouts over 60⅔ innings in 13 games (10 starts) this season.
“I’m going to approach it the same and see the adjustments that they make,” Olson said. “Obviously, I’m probably going to have to be a little less predictable, but we’ll see how it goes when we get into it.”
Before Tuesday’s game, the Twins reinstated infielder Royce Lewis — the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 draft — from the injured list. In a corresponding move, the Twins placed utility player Willi Castro, who played for the Tigers from 2019-22, on the injured list with a mild left oblique strain.
Lewis, who can be a dangerous hitter when healthy, should be in the Wednesday’s lineup against Olson at Target Field, which wasn’t the case in Thursday’s matchup at Comerica Park. The 24-year-old is hitting .326 with four home runs, three walks and 28 strikeouts in 26 games this season.
“I think you have to read and react based on what the hitters are telling you,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “If they’re not going to adjust to certain pitches, then you just roll with those pitches. If we see that they are on time or on his stuff, then we have to make an adjustment. That is the essence of facing somebody back-to-back, and they have the same issue on their side as we do.”
To fix his slider, Olson worked with pitching coaches Chris Fetter and Robin Lund. He studied the movement profile and location.
He tweaked his grip by keeping his throwing hand on top of the ball — rather than on the side of the ball — to improve the depth, allowing him to locate his slider down-and-away — rather than middle-away — to right-handed hitters.
Olson has thrown his slider 32.3% of the time, more than the other four pitches in his arsenal. Opponents have a miserable .187 batting average and 42.8% whiff rate against his slider.
“He did change the shape of his breaking ball a little bit and throw a few more curveballs,” Hinch said. “But he’s a young developing pitcher at this level that’s learning different ways to go about it, like when you feel great, when you don’t feel great, when you have your stuff, when you don’t have your stuff. It’s just baby steps by a young kid.”
Coming soon
Shortstop Javier Báez is expected to be activated from the bereavement list at some point during the upcoming four-game series, from Thursday through Sunday, against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field.
Báez was placed on the bereavement list on Sunday due to the recent death of his grandfather.
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A player on the bereavement list must miss a minimum of three games and can miss a maximum of seven games, meaning Báez could return as soon as Thursday for the series opener against the Guardians. Technically, he could wait until Monday to return, but that won’t happen.
Báez, currently in Puerto Rico, has been in communication with Hinch about his travel plans.
Spencer Turnbull rocked in fifth rehab start
Right-hander Spencer Turnbull (neck discomfort) struggled in the fifth start of his rehab assignment.
He made his third start with Triple-A Toledo — facing Triple-A Omaha from the Kansas City Royals’ organization — and allowed six runs on nine hits and one walk with five strikeouts across five innings.
Turnbull threw 48 of 79 pitches for strikes.
All six runs were scored by the Storm Chasers in the first two innings. Turnbull, who threw 32% sliders, recorded three whiffs with one sinker and two cutters. He also had 17 called strikes
The 30-year-old is expected to make another rehab start and could be optioned to Triple-A Toledo upon the completion of his rehab assignment. Before the injury in early May, Turnbull posted a 7.26 ERA with 15 walks and 24 strikeouts over 31 innings in seven starts with the Tigers.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold.