The Detroit Tigers announced Saturday that right-handed pitcher Jack Flaherty has been sidelined, landing on the 15-day injured list due to a peroneal tendon strain along the outer side of his left ankle and foot.
The timing adds to the team’s pitching challenges, arriving just as ace Tarik Skubal — who had been recovering from left elbow surgery — was activated from the 15-day IL and returned to the mound for the first time since April 29. Skubal’s comeback start ended in a 3-1 defeat to the host Cleveland Guardians.
Flaherty, who turns 30, made his most recent appearance Friday, surrendering two runs on three hits across three innings before leaving the game with the leg issue. The trouble began in the first inning when his left cleat appeared to slip during his follow-through as he faced batter Chase DeLauter.
Speaking Saturday, Flaherty described how the injury progressed during the game. “Kind of tightened up between the first and second,” he said. “Didn’t feel great. When I went over to cover first, it tightened up on me even more. … I wasn’t finishing the same way after the first. My mechanics weren’t the same. There was a lot of discomfort.”
Before leaving the game, Flaherty switched cleats heading into the third inning. He made one final notable play — lunging to field a comebacker off the bat of Kyle Manzardo to record the last out of the inning — before Detroit ultimately fell 3-2.
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch confirmed what everyone in the ballpark witnessed. “He slipped on the mound. We all saw that,” Hinch said. “And then he was able to recover and tolerate it. He talked a little bit about it in the second inning, and then the (comebacker in the third) really irritated him. We’re going to get tests and get him worked up and looked at and all that.”
Through 15 starts this season, Flaherty carries a 1-8 record — tied for the most losses in the major leagues — along with a 5.35 ERA. He has walked 34 batters and struck out 78 in 65 and two-thirds innings pitched.
Over the course of his career, Flaherty owns a 64-64 record with a 3.89 ERA, 385 walks, and 1,208 strikeouts across 1,056 and one-third innings in 205 regular-season appearances — 199 of them starts. He has suited up for the St. Louis Cardinals from 2017 through 2023, the Baltimore Orioles in 2023, the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2024, and the Detroit Tigers in 2024 and into the current season. In postseason play, he is 2-6 with a 5.05 ERA in 13 playoff games, including 11 starts.
The Tigers also made two additional roster moves Saturday. Right-hander Ty Madden, 26, was optioned down to Triple-A Toledo. He posted a 0-0 record with a 3.15 ERA, five walks, and 23 strikeouts across 20 innings in seven appearances — one of them a start — for Detroit this season. Taking his roster spot, infielder Hao-Yu Lee, 23, was recalled from Toledo. Lee is hitting .212, going 18-for-85 with two home runs and nine RBIs across 33 games with the Tigers this year.
Looking ahead, manager Hinch indicated Friday that starting right-hander Casey Mize, currently on the 15-day IL with an adductor injury, is expected to be activated and take the mound Sunday against Cleveland.
