Detroit Tigers' Kenta Maeda to start Sunday for Triple-A Toledo, beginning rehab stint
PHOENIX — The return of Kenta Maeda is coming soon.
Maeda, a veteran right-hander who missed his last start with a viral illness, has returned to full health. He will start Sunday for Triple-A Toledo, beginning his rehab assignment. The 36-year-old would then be lined up to start again Friday, which aligns with the second day he is eligible to return from the injured list.
The Detroit Tigers, though, haven't officially determined anything about Maeda's schedule beyond Sunday's start for the Mud Hens, but he isn't sick anymore.
"We'll evaluate after that on what's next for him," manager A.J. Hinch said, "but he's cleared the virus. He's cleared the physical toll that takes on the body, and he's back into his regular throwing routine, which is most important."
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The Tigers placed Maeda — who signed a two-year, $24 million contract in the offseason — on the injured list May 11, retroactive to May 8, with a viral illness. He missed Monday's start against the Miami Marlins, replaced by right-hander Matt Manning, before throwing a bullpen session Wednesday in preparation for Sunday.
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Maeda has struggled with Detroit in his first season with the team.
He has a 6.75 ERA with 10 walks and 23 strikeouts across 30⅔ innings in seven starts this season. He has given up nine home runs for an average of 2.6 homers per nine innings. A bigger issue: His 6.8 strikeouts per nine innings is down from 10.1 strikeouts per nine last season.
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It's unclear if Maeda has made any tweaks to his mechanics during the rehab process.
"Most of it was just getting healthy, getting some endurance back," Hinch said. "We're not sure how long he's going to last in the game, depending on how many days he was shut down. He's been doing a throwing program back in Detroit. He's been able to get a regular bullpen in, which has been good. He's been able to tweak his weight training a little bit and just get himself back to normal before Sunday."
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Right-handed reliever Shelby Miller received a hydrodissection procedure — a minimally invasive non-surgical procedure using ultrasound technology — to address the inflammation related to his right ulnar nerve.
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Miller played light catch before Friday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. The 33-year-old is scheduled to progress his throwing throughout the weekend, but there isn't a timeline for his return.
The Tigers placed Miller — who signed a one-year, $3.25 million contract, which features a $4.25 million team option for 2025, in the offseason — on the injured list Monday, retroactive to Sunday, with right ulnar nerve inflammation, so he isn't eligible to return until May 27.
Miller has a 4.41 ERA with six walks and 15 strikeouts across 16⅓ innings in 15 relief appearances. Miller, who lives in the Phoenix area, won't travel with the Tigers for their upcoming three-game series against the Royals in Kansas City.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers' Kenta Maeda to start rehab Sunday for Triple-A Toledo
