The Detroit Tigers are looking to find a stride in the second half of the 2026 season. Detroit is 7-3 over its last 10 as they look to crawl back in the postseason mix in a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs.
Heading into the series, the Tigers provided an update on starting pitcher Framber Valdez’s absence from the team. Valdez, 32, was away from the team over the past week and missed a scheduled start.
The starting pitcher was in the Dominican Republic for the death of his grandmother. He is back from bereavement leave and will start tomorrow.
“Framber said she helped raise him and was a very important person in his life. She loved baseball and was always his biggest fan,” Evan Woodbery of MLive Media Group reports.
Framber Valdez’s Rocky First Year in Detroit
GettyAfter signing a three-year, $115 million deal with the Detroit Tigers last winter, Framber Valdez’s start with a new team hasn’t been what the franchise envisioned. Through 19 starts, Valdez carries a 5-6 record, 4.10 ERA, and 1.32 WHIP over 107.2 innings. (Photo by Zoe Davis/Getty Images)
Following a falling out between Framber Valdez and his former team, the Houston Astros, the two-time All-Star starter signed with the Detroit Tigers in free agency.
Detroit and Valdez agreed on a three-year, $115 million contract that includes an opt-out after the second season.
Since joining the Tigers this season, the idea of having two of the best left-handed pitchers in the game with Valdez and Tarik Skubal hasn’t played out that way.
Framber Valdez’s ERA has gone as high as 4.57 in early May. However, He’s started to work his way into better outings. Through 19 starts this season, Valdez carries a 5-6 record, 4.10 ERA, and 1.32 WHIP over 107.2 innings pitched.
He will look to carry his momentum from a July 9 win over the Athletics, where he pitched 7.0 innings, allowing three hits and one earned run while striking out nine.
Valdez will look to contribute to the Tigers’ recent success. He’s in line to go up against David Peterson and the Chicago Cubs in Tuesday’s matchup.
Tigers Get Injury Updates on Javier Baez, Casey Mize, and Jackson Jobe
GettyAhead of the Detroit Tigers’ three-game series against the Chicago Cubs, SS/OF Javier Baez, SP Casey Mize, and SP Jackson Jobe were given injury updates. (Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)
Before the start of the Tigers’ series against the Cubs, Evan Woodbery provided injury updates on outfielder/shortstop Javier Baez as well as starting pitchers Casey Mize and Jackson Jobe.
Baez, 33, has been on the 6-day injured list since April 28 with a high-grade ankle sprain. He will begin a rehab assignment with Class A Lakeland on Tuesday night.
Starting pitcher Casey Mize, 29, exited a July 19 start against the Los Angeles Angels with wrist and groin injuries. Mize said that “this is the best he’s felt on the day.”
The wrist injury is “a bit sore, but fine,” Woodbery wrote. The groin injury is the real concern.
Starting pitcher Jackson Jobe is working his way back from undergoing Tommy John surgery in June 2025. He has begun a minor league rehab assignment in Double-A Erie. Things are going well after making a start on Sunday.
Jobe, 23, is in line to make another rehab start in the future.
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