Troy Melton is making a strong case for a return to the Tigers' rotation, and his latest rehab start is turning heads. The right-hander, who's been sidelined with elbow inflammation, took the mound for Triple-A Toledo on Wednesday and delivered an impressive performance that has fans buzzing.
Melton pitched into the third inning, allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out three. He threw 54 pitches—33 for strikes—and generated 10 whiffs on 25 swings. What's even more exciting? He got at least one swing-and-miss with each of his six pitches, and his fastball averaged 95.6 mph, topping out at 98.7. That's the kind of stuff that makes a pitcher a potential game-changer.
But before we get too carried away, there's still a timeline to consider. Melton has been on the 60-day injured list, and he's not eligible to come off until May 24. Tigers manager AJ Hinch emphasized that the team is building him up as a starter, which means he'll need to clear a few more hurdles before making his big-league return.
Melton's path to this point has been a journey. He made two rehab starts at Low-A Lakeland, where he dominated so thoroughly that he couldn't build his pitch count during games—he was getting outs too quickly. To compensate, he had to throw extra pitches in the bullpen after his outings. Moving up to Triple-A has forced him to grind a bit more, which is exactly what he needs to prepare for the majors.
He's expected to make two more starts with Toledo before May 24, with his next outing likely extending to 70-75 pitches. While the Tigers are encouraged by his progress, they're not ready to set a specific target date for his return just yet.
In other rehab news, two Tigers relievers also made appearances for the Mud Hens on Tuesday. Right-handers Beau Brieske (groin) and Connor Seabold (ankle) each threw a scoreless inning. Brieske looked sharp, tossing 19 pitches (11 strikes) and striking out two, while Seabold threw 13 pitches (five strikes). With the Tigers in the middle of a grueling stretch of 13 straight games without an off day, both could be valuable call-up options in the coming days.