Tigers Notes: Smith, Flaherty

Tigers right-hander Burch Smith underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his throwing shoulder, per Chris McCosky of The Detroit News. A recovery timeline hasn’t been provided but it seems fair to conclude Smith’s season is done. It’s unclear what impact, if any, this will have on his readiness for 2027. He is already on the 60-day injured list. Smith and the Tigers agreed to a minor league deal in the offseason, a pact that would give him a $1.5MM base salary if called up to the majors. His contract was selected on April 22. He made 13 appearances, throwing 17 innings, allowing six earned runs. On May 22, exactly one month after being brought up to the big leagues, he hit the 15-day IL with shoulder inflammation. He was transferred to the 60-day IL a month later. The righty is an impending free agent. The condition of his shoulder will obviously play a role in his market. For what it’s worth, his numbers were good this year before he got hurt. He tossed 10 Triple-A innings to start the year with a 1.80 earned run average, massive 44.4% strikeout rate, a matching 44.4% ground ball rate and no walks. After getting called up, his stats weren’t quite so gaudy but were still good. His 9.6% walk rate was right around par while his 27.4% strikeout rate and 53.3% ground ball rate were both notably better than league par. While the Tigers are presumably not counting on a return from Smith, there’s still some hope for Jack Flaherty, but seemingly not as a traditional starter. That’s simply related to the calendar, as there’s not enough time for him to get fully stretched out. Per McCosky, he just threw a 20-pitch bullpen session and will build up from there, but can only go so far with just a few weeks left in the season. “The reality is setting in,” manger A.J. Hinch said. “It’s going to be hard to build him all the way back up to five, six, seven innings. But that doesn’t mean we can’t be more creative with him.” The Tigers haven’t made firm decisions yet but may use Flaherty in shorter stints or perhaps as a bulk guy in a bullpen game. Flaherty has been on the 15-day IL since July 21 due to flexor inflammation. He also missed a couple of weeks in June due to a left peroneal strain. With this current injury, the Tigers initially thought it was minor and would require a minimal stint but he’s now been out over six weeks and counting. For the Tigers, the urgency to get Flaherty or anyone else back from the IL might be fading. They have slipped to 64-75 and six games back of a playoff spot. They’re not totally buried but would have to leapfrog six teams in the next few weeks to get into playoff position. For Flaherty personally, he told McCosky he wants to get back out there and help his team. Even if the Tigers fall out of it, he should want to make a few appearances for his own sake, as he is an impending free agent. He’ll be heading back to the market on the heels of a middling season. He is currently sitting on a 4.59 earned run average across 19 starts. The injuries were ill-timed, as he seemed to be putting a slow start behind him. He had a 5.94 ERA in his first 11 starts but then a 2.97 ERA in his next eight. Heading to free agency after some mixed results and a monthslong injury absence is not ideal but, at this point, showcasing his health before the winter would be better than finishing the season with the uncertainty lingering. Photo courtesy of Junfu Han, Imagn Images