The 13 Starts That Should Have Mattered More: Verlander's Return Shakes Up the Tigers' Rotation

Alright, strap in baseball fans, because some wild news just dropped out of Detroit that’s got the whole league buzzing, and honestly, it’s a head-scratcher. After a live BP session just the other day, Justin Verlander is officially slated to start Sunday’s game for the Tigers against the Chicago White Sox. Yeah, you heard that right. The future Hall of Famer is back on a big league mound.

Shell Shock and a Ticking Clock

So, Verlander threw a live bullpen on Monday, and the Tigers must have seen enough, because the announcement came fast. But here's the thing, and this is where it gets a little wild for a guy with his legacy, he was absolutely shelled in his last start down at the Triple-A level against the St. Paul Saints. Not exactly the dominant return you’d expect. Still, once he started making those rehab starts and came through them without any lingering issues from his injured left hip, you knew the clock was ticking. It was only a matter of time before the Tigers brought their longtime ace back to the show.

The Peculiar Case of Keider Montero

Now, for the really peculiar part: to make space in the rotation, Keider Montero is getting moved to the bullpen. This choice is a little strange, right? Montero has been the most durable pitcher for the Tigers over the past four years. The dude already has made 13 starts this season, and he’s been averaging six innings per outing with a solid 3.61 ERA and a 4.00 FIP. You'd think that kind of consistency would earn him the nod. Honestly, the more obvious move would have seemed to be Troy Melton heading to the pen. Montero has a good changeup and

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a five-pitch mix he commands well. He definitely struggles more with left-handed hitters and should thrive in a relief role, but that's even truer for Melton, and his splitter is still mostly a show-me pitch without consistent command. This whole thing might not even matter much, who knows what Verlander has left in the tank at this point. It could be a short-lived experiment. But think about Melton, throwing 99 mph out of the pen, leaning into that cutter and slider combo, he could be a lethal relief arm. As a starter, his mid-90s four-seamer is pretty vulnerable. Neither of these young right-handers really gets enough whiffs to completely dominate yet, but Montero's consistently solid track record as a starter for three seasons just doesn't seem to count here. Still, expect Montero to hit 96-98 mph as a reliever, which is a big help to a bullpen that's been struggling to hold leads. Things are going to get even more complicated when Jack Flaherty comes back from his ankle injury. That sounds minor, and he's likely only out until June 27 when he's eligible to return from the 15-day IL. Flaherty probably shouldn't be taking starts from either Melton or Montero either, but hey, they’ll cross that bridge when they get there. So, this Sunday, the home crowd will get to see Justin Verlander back in a Tigers uniform at Comerica Park. You gotta hope he's up to the task. The Tigers are in no position to let nostalgia run their decision-making. If Verlander struggles and keeps getting chances, it’s going to get ugly. It's hard not to hope when it comes to Justin Verlander, though. He's been written off before and always surprised the critics. We'll just have to wait and see if he's got one more resurgence left in the tank.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.