Tigers injury update: Kenta Maeda disaster, Alex Faedo and corresponding roster move

Kenta Maeda took his first trip to the 15-day IL on May 8 with what the Tigers' chalked up to a viral illness. It must've been pretty severe, because he was sent on a short rehab stint before he was reactivated on May 24. He did drop an interesting soundbite before his return that might've hinted that the problem ran deeper: he told reporters that he'd been instructed not to discuss his timeline to return.

But still, he made his return start on the 24th, and it was a good one. He pitched five shoutout innings and only gave up four hits. His next one wasn't so great, though; he was pulled in the fifth after giving up eight hits and five runs, including a homer. That kind of up-and-down performance has been what we've come to expect from Maeda, so there was reason to believe that his Wednesday start might be hard to watch.

No one was prepared for exactly how hard it was to watch, though. Maeda only threw two pitches to Marcus Semien before he was seen in visible discomfort, which prompted a conference on the mound that ended in Maeda going back to the dugout with what was later called "abdominal discomfort" and Joey Wentz being called out from the bullpen.

He told reporters after the game that he hoped it wouldn't be severe, but he'll undergo testing when the Tigers return to Detroit.

Detroit Tigers injury updates: Kenta Maeda exits start after just two pitches, Alex Faedo to the IL, Mason Englert recalled

While we wait for news on Maeda, the Tigers did make an official move that sent Alex Faedo to the 15-day IL with right hip inflammation, which he underwent surgery on in 2022 after just coming back from a 2020 Tommy John earlier that season. Faedo, a former starter who was fighting for a spot on the roster during spring training, was pitching well out of the bullpen before he got hurt. He had just under 35 innings under his belt and a 3.38 ERA.

In a corresponding move, Detroit recalled Mason Englert back to the majors just a day after they sent him down. He pitched on Wednesday night in Texas and gave up a home run to Jonah Heim on his first pitch, but the Tigers stretched him through the sixth to try to give the bullpen a break after their unplanned bullpen day following Maeda's early departure.