MLB Player News

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Thursday that Mize (adductor) will likely be activated from the 15-day injured list to start Sunday in Cleveland, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Mize will need to complete a bullpen session Thursday with no issues and bounce back well Friday before officially being cleared to take the ball Sunday. The right-hander looked good during what's likely to be his lone rehab start, tossing five frames of one-run ball with five strikeouts with Single-A Lakeland on Tuesday. Mize has been out since late May with right adductor inflammation.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch confirmed Thursday that Skubal (elbow) will rejoin the rotation Saturday in Cleveland, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

All told, Skubal will have been sidelined only 38 days after having surgery in early May to remove a loose body from his left elbow. The left-hander was excellent in his lone rehab start, striking out six over five scoreless frames for High-A West Michigan on Sunday. Skubal threw only 54 pitches in that outing, so he will be relatively limited from a workload perspective against the Guardians.

Vierling is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game against the Twins.

Vierling was essentially the Tigers' everyday center fielder in May, but he's started just four of nine games since the calendar flipped to June. The Tigers are going with Zach McKinstry in center field for Thursday's series finale.

Slaten allowed two runs on three hits over two-thirds of an inning in Wednesday's 7-5 loss to Tampa Bay.

Slaten's performance didn't result in him taking the loss, but it did take the starch out of a comeback bid. Boston had just closed the gap to 5-4 with four runs in the top of eighth inning before Slaten gave two of those runs back in the bottom of the frame. This was the right-hander's third harsh outing in the last five, during which he's allowed 10 runs on 11 hits and three walks over 4.1 innings (20.77 ERA). Until this stretch, Slaten could have been viewed as a closer candidate if the 27-39 Red Sox eventually trade Aroldis Chapman.

Straw went 3-for-4 with a run scored in Wednesday's loss to the Phillies.

Making his fourth start in the last five games while Daulton Varsho tends to a wrist issue, Straw set a new season high in hits while extending his run-scoring streak to a modest three contests. Since Varsho was injured June 4, Straw has gone 6-for-16 (.375) with a double, three RBI and four runs, and he should continue to see consistent playing time in the short term.

Azocar went 3-for-4 with a stolen base, a double, a solo home run and an additional run scored for High-A Greenville on Wednesday.

Azocar, who started the year at Low-A Salem, has raked since his promotion to Greenville. Over 11 games for the Drive, the 19-year-old is slashing .333/.373/.604 with seven extra-base hits (two homers), nine RBI, two steals and 10 runs over 51 plate appearances. Across two stops in 2026, Azocar has 19 multi-hit efforts and leads the organization's minor-leaguers in hits (65), total bases (117) and runs (41) while ranking second in RBI (35).

Abel (elbow) struck out five and permitted two hits and no walks over three scoreless frames in his first rehab start with Triple-A St. Paul on Wednesday.

Abel averaged 96.3 mph with his four-seamer, which is up 1.5 mph from his season average. The right-hander got his pitch count to 47, so he will need at least a couple more rehab outings before returning from the 15-day injured list and rejoining the Minnesota rotation.

Diaz went 1-for-1 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 6-4 extra-inning win over the Royals.

Diaz entered the game in the eighth inning after starter Kyle Higashioka was removed for a pinch runner and played a vital role in the win. He went the other way on a 3-2 pitch low and away in the zone to drive in the game-winning run before scoring the insurance run. He also threw out a would-be base stealer in the eighth. Diaz was recently signed by the Rangers when the club placed Danny Jansen (forearm) on the 10-day injured list. He's appeared in two games since joining the organization while serving as the backup to Higashioka.

Smith (glute/wrist/illness) recently moved his rehab from Double-A Frisco to Triple-A Round Rock.

Smith started his rehab assignment, playing two games for Frisco before spending the last two contests with the Express. He's 3-for-12 with two walks, a home run, three RBI and three additional runs scored across the four appearances. Smith played back-to-back days in Triple-A on Tuesday and Wednesday. He played all nine innings in each game, logging a start apiece at first base and third base.

Stephen was placed on the 7-day minor-league injured list at Double-A Akron on Wednesday with right elbow soreness, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

Stephen last pitched Sunday for Akron, throwing just one scoreless inning before exiting the game. He's in the midst of his first full season in the organization after he was acquired from the Blue Jays last season at the trade deadline as the return for Shane Bieber. Stephen has logged a 3.44 ERA and 1.36 WHIP with 49 strikeouts and 23 walks over 12 starts (55 IP) for the RubberDucks.