How Tigers Could Handle Starting Rotation Upon Jack Flaherty's Return

The Detroit Tigers are in the midst of a critical stretch as the halfway point quickly approaches. After an abysmal month of May, the Tigers are playing better baseball as of late as they attempt to crawl back in the struggling American League Central.

A big reason for that success has been the starting pitching. Tarik Skubal's rapid recovery from surgery has been a massive boost. Troy Melton has been tremendous as a starter, while Keider Montero and Framber Valdez have provided consistency.

It appears that Detroit could be getting another starting pitcher back. Per Chris McCosky of The Detroit News, Jack Flaherty is on track to be activated and start Sunday's game versus the Houston Astros.

How Flaherty's Return Impacts the Starting Rotation

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Jack Flaherty throws a pitch. | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

Flaherty was placed on the 15-day injured list on June 13th with a left peroneal strain. He pitched in a rehab start on Tuesday for Double-A Erie. Flaherty threw 5 2/3 innings and allowed three hits, two earned runs, one walk, and struck out seven.

He threw 83 total pitches, and 58 of them were strikes. The two runs allowed were solo home runs. However, Flaherty's return creates a good problem for manager A.J. Hinch.

The Tigers could be deploying a six-man rotation if everyone is healthy. Montero and Melton are both throwing well, and it's unlikely they'll transition back to relievers. Montero has a 3.68 ERA over 15 starts and is coming off an outing where he allowed three runs over seven innings.

The Starting Rotation is Getting Healthy at the Right Time

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal throws a pitch. | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Flaherty started to gain momentum before the IL stint. The injury came at an unlucky time. It hasn't been the season that the 30-year-old envisioned, but he'll have an opportunity to help the Tigers win some games.

Starting pitching was the main area of focus that the Tigers addressed this offseason. They signed free-agent deals with Justin Verlander and Framber Valdez late in the free agent cycle. Unfortunately, injuries have hampered the staff, and a healthy rotation hasn't come to fruition yet.

But now Detroit is getting its reinforcements back. At full strength, the Tigers should feel quite confident about the rotation they can roll out.

The Tigers dug themselves a hole early in the year. There are still 80+ games left to play, but time is not on Detroit's side. Flaherty may not be the answer to every issue, but his return gives the Tigers another experienced arm to help get the team on track.

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