Tigers get good news after Jack Flaherty injury scare on Tuesday night

Jack Flaherty has been having the kind of bounce back season for the Tigers that the Noah Syndergaards of the league can only dream of. Flaherty's made 12 starts and pitched almost 73 innings for a 3.22 ERA; he took a no-hitter into the seventh on May 30, and he leads the American League in strikeouts with 94, ranking only second in MLB behind Tyler Glasnow.

His fastball is still landing in the middle of the plate a little too often, but his knuckle curve and changeup have been virtually unhittable, and he boasts a 98th percentile breaking run value.

On Tuesday against the Rangers, Flaherty was cruising through the fifth, having only given up two hits but no runs while striking out four. The Tigers lineup gave him a little bit of run support (while he took care of Texas' batters) when Zach McKinstry hit his first home run of the year to score two in the second.

Flaherty was replaced by Alex Faedo going into the sixth, after he went back to the dugout and was caught in visible discomfort between innings. It definitely prompted some immediate worry, given Flaherty's history of injury. However, he told reporters after the game to rest assured that he'd be able to make his next start, presumably next week against the Nationals.

Jack Flaherty exited Tuesday's game in visible discomfort, but he should be okay to make his next start

The issue was reported as back tightness after the game. It hasn't been an issue for him in the past — he was notably out with an oblique strain in 2021 and a recurring shoulder injury in 2022 — so it's promising that he wasn't taken out because any historical problems had flared back up.

The Tigers solidified their series win against the Rangers in Tuesday's Game 2; they were spurred on in Game 1 by another great start by Tarik Skubal, who allowed a home run to the Rangers that accounted for their only run of the night. A great night for Texas native Jake Rogers, who hit two homers to eke out a narrow victory for the Tigers, was enough to give Detroit some momentum that will hopefully carry them to a sweep.

As for Flaherty, for now we can all take a collective sigh of relief. After losing Kerry Carpenter to the IL, the Tigers can't afford to lose another big contributor right now, but we should stay optimistic for Flaherty to make his next start as scheduled.