Will Tigers consider six-man rotation when injured players return?

Detroit — You cannot blame Tigers manager AJ Hinch for not wanting to look too far into the future.

>Absolutely he understands that three of his prime, veteran starting pitchers are going to be returning to the rotation in the next week or two. He knows tough decisions are looming. And he has, absolutely, been formulating a variety of plans and scenarios on how to facilitate their return.

>But it’s too soon to talk about it.

>“We have to be open to a lot of things,” Hinch said before the game Saturday. “And I am just right now looking forward to having that dilemma and issue, especially as guys are starting to throw the ball better.”

>

>Here’s where things stand:

>▶ Tarik Skubal (elbow) will make a rehab start at High-A West Michigan on Sunday. If it goes well and he recovers like he has from his live bullpens, he would be in line to rejoin the rotation next Friday in Cleveland.

>▶ Casey Mize (groin) threw a bullpen Saturday and is expected to make a rehab start on Tuesday, though because of bad weather forecasts, it is uncertain where that will be. He is also eligible to return next Friday.

>▶ Justin Verlander (hip) made one rehab start with Triple-A Toledo and threw a bullpen Saturday. It’s possible he will need to make one more rehab start, though that’s not been finalized.

>But those three are coming to supplement a rotation that presently includes Framber Valdez, Keider Montero, Jack Flaherty and Troy Melton.

>Already Ty Madden has been moved from the rotation to the bullpen. And there’s more to come.

>“There is a lot to like about what’s ahead,” Hinch said. “I just don’t want to get ahead of ourselves too much and start thinking about it too much until it’s a reality. We haven’t had the best of health luck this season, so why would I go down that path? Just stay where our feet are with the games at hand.

>“We’re trying to knock things out accordingly with the pace of their return to play and also with what’s going on with our team. Just stay grounded on trying to win series. But I love that we’re trending toward some dilemmas.”

>Some teams across baseball, the Seattle Mariners among them, have used a modified six-man rotation to facilitate the return of healthy starters, pitching two of them in piggyback starts.

>Hinch didn’t dismiss that idea.

>“It’s worth it to just continue to get guys on regular routines the best you can,” he said. “The difficulty with six-man rotations comes with the days off. Like this weekend is a terrible time to consider it with an off day before (Thursday) and an off day after (Monday). You start getting guys with two, three, four extra days of rest and it defeats the purpose.”

>But the Tigers will finish June on a run of 21 games in 22 days, which will likely coincide with all three injured starters back in the fold.

>“Yeah, when you have those longer stretches, you can look at that (six-man rotation) as a viable option to keep starters fresh,” Hinch said. “It allows you to push them a little more, push them a little deeper in games. There is an advantage to considering that.”

>The downside, of course, is you leave the bullpen one arm short. And the bullpen has been dealing with injuries, as well, with Kenley Jansen, Brant Hurter and Burch Smith all on the injured list.

>Jansen (pelvic inflammation) threw a bullpen on Friday and is expected to go out on a rehab assignment next week.

>“It’s been great,” Jansen said. “I stayed back (while the Tigers played in Tampa) to let it calm down and to build strength around it.”

>For Mize, it’s the second time he’s been shut down with the same groin strain. The first time, he came right back into competition without a rehab start. Hinch wasn’t going to let that happen this time, even though Mize has said the strain is more mild this time.

>“We’ve done it both ways,” Hinch said. “Guys competitively always want to come back right away, especially with minimal, manageable injuries. We did it with Casey last time and two starts later I’m going out and replacing him in the second or third inning. We can’t afford that again.

>“Getting him tested in competition is a lot more attractive now than it was the last time.”

>chris.mccosky@detroitnews.com

>@cmccosky

>This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Will Tigers consider six-man rotation when injured players return?