KANSAS CITY, MO – The Detroit Tigers are pausing Brant Hurter’s rehab.
The left-handed reliever, who has been out since May 23 with lumbar spine inflation, has been pulled off his rehab assignment.
“We pulled Hurter off his rehab to assess some of the movement issues we talked about and get him through this step,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said on Friday, Aug. 21. “We have not shut him down completely. We need to keep him out of games until we ensure that he's operating at 100%. So, by rule, he needs to sit at least seven days. I don't know when he's going to restart an assignment, but we don't expect him to stop throwing. We don't expect him to be completely shut down. But we need to take a little mini-step away from pitching this week and get him back
on the mound and get him get him moving the way that he's supposed to be moving.”
When he went on the injured list, Hurter had a 2.84 ERA with 18 strikeouts and 12 walks over 25⅓ innings (in 21 appearances) this season.
Flaherty making progress
Jack Flaherty, who was placed on the injured list on July 21 with right flexor inflation, is tentatively scheduled to pitch off a mound this weekend in Kansas City.
“We're hoping to get Jack Flaherty off the mound as early as this series,” Hinch said.
That’s the next stage in his recovery.
“I’ll leave ourselves a little bit of an out depending on how the next couple of days go,” Hinch said. “But that's an encouraging sign that he's feeling good enough to at least have a mound session in pencil over the next few days."
Positive signs for Riley Greene
Riley Greene, who is out with a right hamstring strain, is expected to return to Detroit for more rehab during the next homestand, which begins Monday against Tampa Bay.
“Greenie's doing really well,” Hinch said. “That's a good sign.”
Kerry Carpenter update
Kerry Carpenter (left foot plantar fasciitis) has transitioned his rehab to Lakeland, Florida.
“He's still not not doing a ton of baseball activity, but hopefully this downtime is going to be enough to clear the hurdle that he's been trying to clear,” Hinch said.
Is Parker Meadows running out of time?
Parker Meadows, who has been out with a fractured arm since April, has struggled to swing a bat.
“Parker has really been going through it,” Hinch said. “He's running, he's throwing, he's catching the ball. The swing has just has not been able to be at full speed. Part of that is the top hand and him being able to really complete a full aggressive swing. And you know, there's still some issues with that.”
It’s unclear if Meadows, who was carted off the field in Minnesota after an outfield collision with Greene, will return this season. But Hinch hasn’t given up hope.
“We haven't run out of time yet,” Hinch said. “It feels like it's been forever, and we haven't been able to really push him forward. Obviously, we're closing in on September, which is going to bring a lot of questions. But you know, it is what it is, and we haven't been able to progress it to these BPs and games and rehab.”
Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on X @seideljeff.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Brant Hurter injury update: Detroit Tigers LHP rehab paused
