Detroit Tigers Leave Casey Mize, Kenta Maeda Off ALDS Roster in Favor of Keider Montero

Casey Mize was bumped to the Detroit Tigers' bullpen at the end of the regular season, and after not pitching in the AL Wild Card Series, he has been replaced on the ALDS roster by Keider Montero.

Detroit Tigers pitcher Casey Mize (12) hands the game ball to manager A.J. Hinch for pitching change during the seventh inning against Chicago White Sox at Comerica Park in Detroit on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Detroit Tigers have revealed their official roster for the ALDS, making one notable change to their pitching staff.

All 14 position players who helped the Tigers sweep the Houston Astros in the AL Wild Card Series are returning to face the Cleveland Guardians. Manager AJ Hinch won't be running it back with the same group of 12 pitchers, however, swapping Casey Mize out for Keider Montero.

And for the second series in a row, Kenta Maeda will not be active either.

Mize did not pitch in the AL Wild Card Series. The 27-year-old right-hander was bumped out of the starting rotation and into the bullpen midway through September, and he proceeded to give up five hits, two walks and three earned runs in the first two relief appearances of his MLB career.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft posted a 3.71 ERA, 1.137 WHIP and 3.3 WAR back in 2021, but he has yet to return to those heights since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2022. In 2024, Mize went just 2-6 with a 4.49 ERA, 1.466 WHIP and 0.1 WAR.

Montero, on the other hand, went 6-6 with a 4.76 ERA, 1.332 WHIP and 0.1 WAR as a rookie this regular season. He tossed a three-hit shutout on just 96 pitches on Sept. 10, though, and The Athletic's Cody Stavenhagen reported Saturday that Detroit's staff liked his pitch mix against the Guardians better than Mize's.

As for Maeda, he went 3-7 with a 6.09 ERA, 1.380 WHIP and -1.7 WAR in 2024. The 36-year-old righty is 2-1 with a 3.24 ERA, 1.272 WHIP and 10.4 strikeouts per nine innings across 27 career playoff appearances, but the Tigers clearly aren't ready to rely on him after a season spent bouncing back forth between the rotation and bullpen.

Per MLB.com's Jason Beck, Mize and Maeda will both throw bullpen sessions on Sunday. That will help them stay warm, in case they need to join the roster as injury replacements somewhere down the line.

Game 1 of the best-of-five series between the Tigers and Guardians is scheduled to get started at 1:08 p.m. ET on Saturday. Tyler Holton will serve as the opener for Detroit, while Cleveland will have Tanner Bibee take the mound.

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