WEST SACRAMENTO -- After going through his normal between-starts routine, Casey Mize was fully prepared for what could be his final game as a Tiger on Friday against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park.
But on Thursday night, after the right-hander played catch, manager A.J. Hinch sought out Mize in the club’s Sacramento hotel and delivered the news: The Tigers were scratching Mize from his scheduled start. Left-hander Tyler Holton will start instead in what will be a bullpen game for Detroit.
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The move, announced Friday morning, comes three days before Monday’s Trade Deadline. It provides the strongest indication yet that the Tigers (51-58) plan to be sellers at the Deadline, listening to offers on Mize along with back-to-back AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal and others.
“It’s the state of the game right now, this time of year, where we’re at,” Hinch told reporters before Friday’s series opener. “Standings change, and coming off a 3-4 road trip, decisions have to be made day by day.”
No trade with Mize is believed to be imminent, but the decision to scratch is a precaution against the risk of injury. Detroit made a similar decision with Jack Flaherty two years ago, before trading him to the Dodgers just before the Deadline.
Mize has battled a nagging groin issue all season. He had two separate stints on the injured list with a right adductor strain and inflammation, and he reported groin soreness after leaving his July 19 start against the Angels in the fourth inning following a comebacker off his left wrist.
Mize bounced back from that latest absence and tossed six innings of one-run ball on Saturday against the Royals. He is healthy now, according to Detroit, but the team isn’t going to take a chance. If Mize isn’t traded by the Deadline, the Tigers plan to start him Tuesday against the Mariners in Seattle.
Until then, the right-hander is in a bit of a holding pattern.
“I feel like I’m in limbo a little bit,” Mize said. “I’m still obviously fully committed to this organization and this team, but for the ball to literally be taken out of my hands is a weird place to be. We’ll see what the weekend holds.”
When Mize has been healthy, he has posted the best numbers of his career, from a 2.70 ERA to a .992 WHIP to 8.8 strikeouts per nine innings and a 4.47 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 16 starts. His 2.9 fWAR is already a career high.
The season continues an upward trajectory for Mize since his 2024 return from Tommy John and back surgeries that cost him the better part of two years. He has battled hamstring and groin injuries over the last few years, but nothing arm related.
Mize’s rise comes at an opportune time with free agency looming at season’s end. Like with his close friend Skubal, his situation brings a decision on the Tigers whether to trade him now or hold onto him and risk losing him as a free agent for a compensation pick.
Well aware of his status as a potential trade chip, Mize wasn’t surprised when Hinch told him he wouldn’t be starting Friday’s game. Still, he couldn’t help but feel disappointed.
“I love to compete,” Mize said. “Selfishly, I feel like I’m putting our team in a bad spot, even though it wasn’t my decision. This is not, obviously, great for our team.”
Asked what he would want if he could choose a destination, he said: “I want to win. I want to play somewhere that I’m comfortable and a place that wants me. Those are kind of my priorities. I really want to win. I think that’s why we play.
“If Monday comes and goes I’m still here, I’m going to continue to want to win. If I’m elsewhere, I’m obviously going to try to help that team win.”
Vest won’t return in ’26
The Tigers had harbored hopes of getting right-handed reliever Will Vest back by the end of the season, but Hinch announced Friday that Vest will not pitch again in 2026.
Vest underwent surgery to repair a stress fracture of his right olecranon, a bone at the tip of the elbow, on Wednesday in Dallas. He is also set to undergo a hip procedure in the coming days, according to Hinch.
Vest had a 6.08 ERA in 27 appearances for the Tigers in 2026, including two saves. He landed on the injured list in early May with right lateral forearm inflammation and missed the minimum 15 days. Vest went back on the IL on July 1 with the elbow issue, which ultimately required surgery.
The news is a blow to a Tigers team that has depended on Vest for a lot of key outs, including the righty’s 23 saves in 2025. Vest saved the clinching game of Detroit’s 2024 AL Wild Card Series win over the Astros as well as Game 1 of the 2025 AL Division Series against the Guardians.
“We have leaned on this guy over the last few years to be an instrumental part of either the bridge to get to the finish line or the actual finish line,” Hinch said.