Detroit pitcher Casey Mize lifted his record to 6-1 for the 2025 season in the Tigers’ 10-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Thursday. On Saturday, Detroit placed Mize on the 15-day injured list with a left hamstring strain, the American League team announced.

“In his last inning in Colorado, he felt a little sensation, a tweak,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch told Evan Woodbery of mlive.com. “Everybody initially thought it was dehydration or something minor, but it turns out it’s a mild strain. In May, we’re certainly going to be careful with that, but we expect it to be fine in a short period of time.”

In seven starts this season, Mize has a 6-1 record, and he’s tied for the MLB lead in pitching wins. The right-hander has a 2.53 earned-run average in 42.2 innings in 2025. Mize has yielded 34 hits and nine walks and struck out 35.

The opening of the 2025 campaign has been the best stretch of the former Springville High School star’s injury-affected big-league career.

The Tigers selected Mize from Auburn with the No. 1 pick in the 2018 MLB First-Year Player Draft.

Mize made his big-league debut on Aug. 19, 2020, after 26 minor-league starts. On his way to Detroit, Mize had an 8-3 record and 2.71 earned-run average, and his minor-league work included a no-hitter for the Erie SeaWolves in his Double-A debut on April 29, 2019.

But between starts on April 14, 2022, and April 4, 2024, Mize did not pitch for the Tigers. In June 2022, Mize had elbow surgery and, shortly after that, back surgery.

After his return last season, Mize had a 60-day stay on the injured list because of a hamstring injury. Entering the 2025 season, Mize had a 9-19 record with a 4.36 ERA in 61 MLB games.

To fill Mize’s roster spot, the Tigers recalled reliever Chase Lee from Triple-A Toledo. The McAdory High School and Alabama alumnus had been sent down to the Mud Hens on Thursday to end his first stint in the big leagues.

Starting with his MLB debut on April 22, Lee yielded one run on three hits and three walks with six strikeouts in 6.1 relief innings.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.