Breakout Tigers starter hits IL with uncomfortable lingering injury

If you thought the days of so-called "pitching chaos" were over in the Motor City, think again.

The Detroit Tigers have placed right-hander Reese Olson on the 15-day injured list Monday with a right ring finger injury, per Chris McCosky of The Detroit News. In a corresponding move, they have recalled Chase Lee from Triple-A Toledo and plan to pitch a bullpen game Wednesday against the St. Louis Cardinals.

It's not clear exactly when or how Olson was injured, but he threw 85 pitches in six scoreless innings Sunday against the Toronto Blue Jays before manager AJ Hinch pulled him from the game with what he described after the game as a minor cramp in his finger. The Blue Jays went on to win the game 2-1 on a two-out, walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth by Ernie Clement.

Evidently, the injury is more than the minor irritation that Olson described and will require a stint on the IL. The timing of Olson's injury is less than ideal, as the right-hander has pitched to a sparkling 1.60 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 38:11 strikeout-to-walk ratio through 33 2/3 innings over his last six starts. He has four scoreless appearances through his first nine games in what has been a career-best stretch for the 25-year-old.

Tigers turn to pitching chaos once again as Reese Olson hits IL with finger injury

Olson will be eligible for activation from the IL June 2, but it's unknown at this time whether he will be ready to return on that date.

Right-hander Casey Mize, who has been on the IL since May 9 with a left hamstring strain, is on track to return to the Tigers' rotation by this weekend. This will provide some reinforcement in Olson's absence, and Jack Flaherty's next start has been pushed to Thursday against the Cleveland Guardians.

In the meantime, the Tigers will revert to last season's "pitching chaos" method with Wednesday's bullpen game. Beyond that, Flaherty, Tarik Skubal, Jackson Jobe and Keider Montero comprise the rest of Detroit's starting staff. If any team's prepared to weather the storm when it comes to injuries to the pitching staff, it's Hinch's Tigers. This time, they'll at least have an end in sight when some of their best options eventually get healthy — a luxury they weren't afforded last season.

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