CINCINNATI — Detroit Tigers right-hander Jack Flaherty is scheduled to start Thursday against the Cleveland Guardians at Comerica Park, his first start since June 27.

The 28-year-old is recovering from a lingering lower back injury.

"We're just taking everything one day at a time as we would normally," Flaherty said.

In 2024, Flaherty — who signed a one-year, $14 million contract — has a 3.24 ERA with 14 walks and 115 strikeouts across 89 innings in 15 starts. He is a lock to be traded by the Tigers at the July 30 deadline, but the back injury lessens his potential value.

The back required two injections — and two missed starts — in the span of three weeks, but Flaherty has avoided the injured list. He received the first injection June 10 and the second injection Tuesday, both administered by a doctor in Los Angeles.

Flaherty experienced back tightness for the first time this season in his June 4 start, but he also had a back issue that required an injection last season.

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His back didn't respond as expected in the days following his June 27 start against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, in which he allowed five runs on seven hits and one walk with seven strikeouts across 5⅔ innings.

"Whatever you have to do to make things feel better," Flaherty said of the second injection. "I didn't quite bounce back the same. We happened to be close enough where I might as well get it done if it's going to help me feel better."

Flaherty took 10 days off between starts June 5 and June 15 for the first injection. He is taking 13 days off between starts June 27 and Thursday for the second injection.

If Flaherty starts Thursday, it will be his fifth game in a stretch of 38 days, dating to June 4.

"We expect him to make the start," manager A.J. Hinch said. "He's just simplifying things and doing his program as he's supposed to. He'll get off the mound here in the next couple days, and things will progress accordingly. We have a lot of confidence that this shot did what's it's supposed to do, and now we move forward."

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After the second injection, Flaherty stayed in the Los Angeles area — where his family calls home — while the Tigers played their three-game series against the Minnesota Twins, then rejoined the Tigers for Saturday's game against the Cincinnati Reds.

"It's good to be back around the guys," Flaherty said.

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Flaherty played catch on the field before Saturday's game.

It was the first step in his preparation to start for the Tigers on Thursday in the four-game series finale against the Guardians at Comerica Park.

"Just go one day at a time," Flaherty said, "as with everything with the body is one day at a time every single day. Whether it's that or anything else, you just take things one day at a time. You just take everything one day at a time."

A Monday return for Javier Báez?

The Tigers are soon to decide whether to activate shortstop Javier Báez (lumbar spine inflammation) from the injured list for Monday's game against the Guardians, following four games with Triple-A Toledo on a rehab assignment.

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Báez seems likely to join the Tigers, but it's not guaranteed. If he doesn't join the Tigers, he will travel to Omaha, Nebraska, with the Mud Hens to continue his rehab assignment.

The 31-year-old has played four games with Toledo: Tuesday as the designated hitter, Wednesday as the shortstop, Friday as the shortstop and Saturday as the shortstop.

In Friday's game, Báez hit a hanging curveball from right-hander Triston McKenzie — whom the Guardians recently optioned to Columbus — for a solo home run to left field.

The Mud Hens don't play Sunday or Monday. The back-to-back off days create a natural break in the schedule for the Tigers to make a decision on Báez's status.

The Tigers have missed Báez's veteran presence on defense, locking down the shortstop position. Fellow shortstops Ryan Kreidler and Zach McKinstry have struggled on offense and defense throughout Báez's month-long absence.

Báez hasn't played for the Tigers since June 8.

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' Jack Flaherty set to start vs. Cleveland Guardians