Detroit — Keider Montero might not have been expecting to get the ball for a start in a series finale against the Chicago White Sox on Sunday, but Detroit Tigers manager AJ Hinch knows the pitcher is ready to handle such situations.
“I think he knows when I give him the ball, he’s going to go, you know, sort of max prep, max effort, until I take the ball away from him,” Hinch said of Montero. “And I think that mindset has proved to be very successful for him. And he truly doesn’t care what the role is or what the game situation is. He just wants his opportunity.”
Montero stepping in to fill a start for Justin Verlander is yet another example of the sort of selfless willingness to do what Detroit needs that Hinch praised on Sunday morning. Montero has been on the fringes of Detroit’s rotation and picked up a number of starts this season because of injuries to Verlander, Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize. He recently slid back to the bullpen as the rotation seemed to return to full health, only for those plans to get scuttled, thrusting Montero back into a starting role.
“Not too long ago, I was going to him, ‘Hey you’re gonna pitch you out of the ‘pen for a while,’” Hinch recalled saying. “That lasted one outing. He’s back in the rotation, and he doesn’t detour off of what his belief system is and what his plan is.”
Sans Montero, Hinch is still bullish on where Detroit’s bullpen is these days, finding some stability after mixing, matching and shuffling duties around. A big reason for the stability of late: The performance of lefty relievers Tyler Holton, Emmanuel De Jesus and Drew Sommers, who have been needed with fellow lefty Brant Hurter injured.
With three lefties and five righties in the bullpen, it’s not a perfect balance and therefore a lefty with strong stuff against right-handed hitters becomes highly valuable.
In particular, Holton’s ability to pitch in a handful of different situations and a newfound ability to get right-handers out has served him well lately, Hinch said. Holton allowed just one run in his last nine appearances, and none in his last six.
“The versatility and ability to throw multiple innings,” Hinch said. “And you’re gonna have to get a righty out, which is what Holton’s gotten better at, I think, in the last month.”
Hinch went on to praise De Jesus and Sommers, too.
“De Jesus has been really good. I mean, stuff has spiked up a little bit,” Hinch said. “The ability to go anywhere from one inning to four innings. has really absorbed some of the length that Hurter provided. Then Sommers coming up has been a really, really tough look. I’ve used him for one hitter, I’ve used him in different pockets.”
Hinch specifically praised De Jesus for his consistency and production while bouncing around various roles.
“De Jesus has been pretty steady throughout the year, in a very vulnerable and inconsistent role, and he’s handled that pretty well,” Hinch said.
Prior to the latest turn with Verlander’s health, Montero seemed poised to get squeezed from the rotation once more and head to the bullpen. That didn’t last long, as Verlander’s planned return for Sunday got scuttled because of a new ailment.
So at least until Verlander can return, which will at least be a few weeks, Montero will slide back into the rotation.
And while it’s certainly an issue for Hinch to manage in the grand scheme — one too many starting caliber pitchers — there are worse problems to navigate. And in the short term, Montero’s presence has been a solution to a lot of starting pitching problems.
Hinch acknowledged, too, how living on the fringe of the rotation could be difficult on Montero and his mental state. Where the pitcher could have withered, he’s bloomed instead, continuing to build his case to be part of Detroit’s rotation in a more permanent capacity.
“He’s earned the right to be here, and he’s pitching his way into a prominent role for us, one way or the other, depending on how the team is built,” Hinch said. “His mindset, I wish I could duplicate it and give it to so many young pitchers.”
And as he’s provided stability as Detroit dealt with a raft of pitching injuries, Montero’s presence gives Hinch and Co. continued adaptability to manage the lineup and roster as the Tigers navigate the remainder of 2026.
“He’s one of the easiest guys to manage on the team because he’s all in. You know, he’ll do anything. And part of that comes from his competitiveness, and his trust in himself, and us and our organization, and the pitching group. And I think part of it is, you know, he’s willing to do everything for his team.”
Andrew Graham is a freelance writer.
Yankees at Tigers
➤Series: Three games at Comerica Park
➤First pitch: Monday — 6:10 p.m.; Tuesday-Wednesday — 6:40 p.m.
➤TV/radio: Monday-Wednesday — Detroit Sports Net, 97.1, 107.9
Scouting report
➤Probables: Monday — RHP Gerrit Cole (2-1, 2.57) vs. LHP Framber Valdez (3-5, 4.09); Tuesday — LHP Carlos Rodon (3-2, 3.50) vs. RHP Casey Mize (2-4, 2.58); Wednesday — LHP Ryan Weathers (2-5, 4.13) vs. LHP Tarik Skubal (3-3, 3.02).
➤Cole, Yankees: This will be his sixth start back after being out all last season recovering from Tommy John surgery and he’s been as tough as ever, holding hitters to a .196 average and .614 OPS. The four-seam fastball still rings at 96-97 mph. The slider still misses bats (35.5% whiff) and lefties are going to get the change-up and knuckle-curve. The only change in his arsenal is the absence of the cutter. He hasn’t thrown it this season.
➤Valdez, Tigers: The Tigers have lost six of his last seven starts, and that includes three quality starts in that span. His last start was emblematic of how his season has gone. Back in Houston, he gave up just one run in six innings, but he labored, giving up six hits and three walks, He won some big at-bats, stranding five runners in scoring position. His history against the Yankees has been a mixed bag. In six regular season starts, the Yankees have crushed him (7.22 ERA, 1.9 WHIP). But in Game 2 of the 2022 ALCS, Valdez shut them out for seven innings.
Chris McCosky
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Tigers manager AJ Hinch lauds bullpen lefties for flexibility, success
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