The Detroit Tigers start their 32-game spring-training schedule on Saturday. Casey Mize won’t pitch in any of those Grapefruit League contests. It seems anyone’s guess when he will take the mound again for the Major League team, but it doesn’t seem out of the question that it might not be in the 2023 season.

The No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft, Mize most recently pitched for the Tigers on April 14. Two months later, the former Auburn standout had Tommy John surgery and, shortly after that, back surgery. Detroit placed Mize on the 60-day injured list last week.

“The Tommy John recovery itself is fluid,” Mize said. “It’s not like every player’s back in X amount of months, right? It’s tough for me to answer questions on the timeline.”

The elbow procedure had been well-documented, but the back surgery was news to those who follow Detroit when Mize talked about it at the Tigers’ spring-training facility in Lakeland, Florida.

“I’ve been dealing with the issue for a long time – I’d say years,” Mize said about his back. “It’s just something that’s gradually gotten worse over time. We had a unique opportunity with me having Tommy John surgery to go ahead and tackle this. There was available time for it to be done, so we decided we’re going to focus on getting better, get everything better. That way when we’re back, I can be the best player I can be and be good and healthy, so it was a good opportunity and timeline to do that.”

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The day after his second five-inning outing to start the 2022 MLB season, Mize felt discomfort in his elbow. He went on the injured list, undertook a throwing program that was shut down twice and made a rehab start with the Tigers’ Triple-A affiliate, the Toledo Mud Hens. Mize threw 29 pitches to seven batters – five reached base and three scored before Mize left with two outs.

While Mize had not torn the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, the cause of most Tommy John surgeries, an examination by Dr. Keith Meister of Arlington, Texas, found the UCL had been stretched so much that it had lost its elasticity.

In Tommy John – or UCL reconstruction – surgery, a tendon from elsewhere in the injured player’s body or from a donor is attached to the inner side of the elbow in place of the damaged ligament. The surgery is named after the first pitcher to undergo the procedure in 1974 and resume his career.

Mize had a 19-2 pitching record at Springville High School before going 20-13 in three seasons at Auburn, where he struck out 324 in 267.1 innings.

Mize made 26 minor-league starts, with an 8-3 record and 2.71 earned-run average, before reaching the Majors. His minor-league work included a no-hitter for the Erie SeaWolves in his Double-A debut on April 29, 2019.

Mize made seven starts during the coronavirus pandemic-affected 2020 season. In 2021, Mize posted a 7-9 record with a 3.71 earned-run average in 30 starts for Detroit. He’s pitched twice for the Tigers since.

“There’s been plenty of times when I was upset and bitter,” Mize said. “But I was in church last Wednesday, and the pastor said in times of peaks and valleys, when you’re in the valley, instead of being bitter, focus on getting better.

“I did find myself at times, I mean, I was pretty bitter, and I was upset. Then it kind of switched to this is a really good time to reset and get better.”

Mize has begun a throwing program as he undertakes another step on the way back.

“It’s definitely tough,” Mize said. “I’m not going to say it’s easy. But I’m enjoying the growth and the progressions. I’m just going to continue to keep trying to get better and come back an even better player.”

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