Former No. 1 pick Mize will have Tommy John
Tigers manager AJ Hinch announced before the game Friday that starting pitcher Casey Mize, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft, will undergo Tommy John surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.
“I’m very sad for Casey and for all the work he’s put in,” Hinch said. “But I think having resolution to this is the No. 1 key. He knows the problem and he knows the answer. He knows what the road ahead will be like and he knows the success stories from this surgery.
“He’s very OK with knowing that these are the facts, this is what I have to do.”
The decision to have surgery came after Mize saw specialist Dr. Keith Meister in Dallas. Even though, as all the previous tests had shown, the ligament wasn’t torn.
”Dr. Meister determined that it was a stretched ligament that had lost its elasticity and functionality inside the elbow,”
Hinch said. ”Every exam we had showed an intact ligament, which was true.”
Meister used a stress MRI, which examined the elbow from a different angle and saw the ligament had stretched beyond the point of healing.
Mize has been out since April 15 and twice had his throwing program shut down because of recurring symptoms.
“The first step is finding an accurate diagnosis,” Hinch said. “I’m not a doctor, but you are looking at these exams and I know they’re looking for tears or blood or other issues that stand out. We can’t be inside the elbow.”
No surgery date has been set yet for Mize.
“We’ll all be there for Casey,” Hinch said. “And we know he’ll be better on the other side and that this is a necessary step to get there.”
The normal timetable for return from this surgery is 12 to 18 months.
Blue Jays 10, Tigers 1: Lourdes Gurriel Jr., George Springer and Bo Bichette homered during a four-run second inning, Jose Berrios pitched eight strong innings and visiting Toronto routed Detroit. Springer reached base four times, scored three runs and knocked in a pair. Toronto has won 12 of its past 15 games, scoring six or more runs in 11 of those victories.
Phillies 7, D’backs 5: Kyle Schwarber hit a three-run homer and host Philadelphia used a five-run second inning to take control and beat Arizona. Rhys Hoskins hit two solo homers for the Phillies. The Diamondbacks rallied with four runs in the seventh.
Nationals 11, Brewers 5: Josh Bell and Keibert Ruiz hit home runs on consecutive pitches in the sixth inning, and host Washington beat Milwaukee, extending the Brewers’ losing streak to a season-high seven games. Nelson Cruz and Maikel Franco also homered for the Nationals, who snapped a three-game skid.
Braves 4, Pirates 2: Spencer Strider outpitched Roansy Contreras in a matchup of hard-throwing rookies, Dansby Swanson had three hits, including a two-run homer, and host Atlanta won its ninth straight game.
Briefly: Rays right-hander Andrew Kittredge, a 2021 All-Star, will have season-ending Tommy John elbow surgery in another blow to the team’s banged-up bullpen . ... Minnesota Twins shortstop Royce Lewis will have reconstructive ACL surgery on his right knee for the second year in a row, yet another season-ending setback for the team’s top prospect. ... The Texas Rangers have put righthander Glenn Otto, who had been scheduled to start Friday night against the White Sox, on the COVID-19-related injured list . ... Outfielder Clint Frazier was designated for assignment by the Chicago Cubs, who also placed pitcher Marcus Stroman on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation . ... Miami starter Pablo Lopez left Friday night’s game against the Houston Astros in the fifth inning after taking a comebacker off his right wrist.