Tigers' miserable elimination weekend gets worse with Troy Melton injury scare

Despite having their backs to the wall, the Tigers had their best pitcher on the mound to try buy them another day in the Wild Card chase. Troy Melton had stumbled through September, but he was still the most trustworthy option as Detroit tried to stave off elimination at the hands of a division rival on Sunday.

But it was immediately obvious that he was still struggling. Although he got out of the inning without damage, he gave up a leadoff single and hit Munetaka Murakami with a pitch. Arm-side miss has been a problem for his fastball, and that was on display as early as his first batter.

The White Sox put up their first run in the second on a Braden Montgomery double. The third inning was clean, but a leadoff walk, a two-out single, and then a two-run double put Chicago up 3-0 in the fourth. Melton ended up walking off the mound with an athletic trainer, and the Tigers went on to lose 8-1, officially killing their postseason hopes.

Jason Beck of MLB.com reported after the game that Melton had experienced forearm tightness while warming up for the fourth. He'll undergo further examination.

Troy Melton's early exit vs White Sox pours salt on the wound of Tigers' elimination

He should be lined up to pitch one more time before the season ends, though potential Jack Flaherty and Justin Verlander returns might complicate things somewhat, but whether or not he ends up making another start will be telling. The Tigers could keep him off the mound out of an abundance of caution, or even put him on the IL for the rest of the year to accommodate Flaherty or Verlander.

It hardly matters for this season now that the Tigers' postseason dreams have been dashed, but it does leave room to fear for his readiness in 2027. Melton said he doesn't believe it's connected to the elbow inflammation that kept him from joining the team until late May, but another persistent issue or (please, no) a surgery would almost inevitably lead to another abbreviated season.

The Tigers have had some trouble keeping their young pitchers healthy. All of Tarik Skubal, Casey Mize, Jackson Jobe, and Reese Olson have had major surgeries that sidelined them for a significant amount of time, if not an entire season.

We'll keep our fingers crossed that the same doesn't happen to Melton, but the waiting certainly won't feel good.

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