Montero given extra rest after slow recovery; Hurter pulled from rehab

KANSAS CITY -- The Tigers received unfortunate news on two important pieces of the pitching staff on Friday as starter Keider Montero and high-leverage reliever Brant Hurter had a pair of setbacks that shook up Detroit’s immediate plans in Kansas City.

Montero, who last pitched on Tuesday in Pittsburgh, had not been recovering well enough from his last outing to throw his in-between bullpen session, which will push his next outing to the Dodgers series at Comerica Park from Aug. 28-30 if all goes well next week. The Tigers will utilize Thursday’s off-day by deploying a bullpen game on Sunday in Kansas City, with the starter and bulk reliever of that contest dependent on bullpen usage over the next two games against the Royals.

That means Framber Valdez, who was Sunday’s original starter, will be pushed to Monday at home against the Rays so Jackson Jobe and Troy Melton can stay on normal rest and pitch on Tuesday and Wednesday against Tampa Bay. The Tigers wanted to do the bullpen game on Sunday, rather than Friday or Monday, so the opposing team wouldn’t get a long look at their bullpen to start a three-game set.

“With Keider, we’re really paying attention to the recovery coming out of his last outing,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “He had the big long inning, his recovery hasn’t been as fast. … So we’re just going to give him a little bit of a [rest], which is not uncommon this time of year. Especially with these off-days, we are trying to be smart [when] pushing these guys when we need to push them, but also pull back when we need to pull back.”

The Tigers are hoping Montero’s few days of extra rest will be enough to get him back to form because at this point -- it’s been the 26-year-old’s best season in the Majors. Montero’s 3.30 ERA over 21 starts (27 games) is a career best, as is his 133 2/3 innings, 89 strikeouts, .209 opponents’ average and 1.00 WHIP.

Detroit will need that presence down the stretch to come out on top of a crowded American League Wild Card race, which had the Tigers sitting 1 1/2 games out of the third and final spot ahead of the opener at Kauffman Stadium.

Hurter pulled off rehab assignment

Hurter, who was nearing his return to the big league club, was taken off his rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo not because he reinjured himself -- but to work on his mechanics, per Hinch.

The left-hander has been sidelined since May 24 due to lumbar spine inflammation, but had recently begun a rehab assignment on Aug. 4 with Single-A Lakeland before the move to Triple-A. In five rehab games, Hurter had a 24.55 ERA with 11 hits allowed and four walks in 3 2/3 innings.

“We have not shut him down completely, but we need to keep him out of games until we ensure he’s operating at 100 percent," Hinch said. "By rule, he needs to sit at least seven days, so I don’t know when he’s going to restart an assignment, but we don’t expect him to stop throwing.

“We won’t expect him to completely shut down, but we need to take a little mini-step away from pitching this week and get him back on the mound and get him moving the way he’s supposed to be moving.”

Hurter has been one of the Tigers' most reliable relivers the past three seasons, posting a career 2.56 ERA in 133 2/3 innings. He had a 2.84 ERA in 21 games this season before his injury in May. He broke out last year during the Tigers' run to the ALDS, when he pitched in 43 games and compiled a 2.43 ERA and 68 strikeouts across 63 innings.