Zachary Engberg
2 min read • June 11, 2022
Posted in
The Tigers announced on Friday that sidelined ace Casey Mize will undergo Tommy John surgery to repair a right elbow sprain.
Manager AJ Hinch said that Mize's UCL is not torn but that the ligament had “stretched to the point that it has lost elasticity.”
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 Draft was placed on the IL on April 14 with an elbow sprain and further tests showed the extent of the damage.
Mize will miss the rest of this season and all or most of 2023 while recovering from the surgery. Pitchers have a 12-to-18 month rehab timeline from the date of the surgery, and the Tigers are likely to be hyper-cautious with the potential ace of the future.
Pedro Martinez broke down Mize's mechanics on MLB Network shortly after his debut in 2020. Martinez described in detail the stress that his open-armed motion was putting on his elbow and how it could result in Mize undergoing Tommy John surgery.
He struggled in two starts this season, posting a 5.40 ERA and 1.500 WHIP with four strikeouts in 10 IP, following up five-start stretch to 2021 that saw him with a 4.80 ERA over only 15 IP.
In his career, the 25-year-old has a 4.29 ERA and 1.208 WHIP with 148 strikeouts in 188.2 innings pitched across 39 starts.
Written by Zachary Engberg
