Keider Montero needed just 71 pitches to complete seven innings on Friday night for the Detroit Tigers against the Kansas City Royals. Although the Motown team lost on another walk-off hit, Montero again provided a bright spot for a Tigers team that has been ravaged by injuries of late. Perennial Cy Young candidate Tarik Skubal just had surgery, Casey Mize and Justin Verlander are both still on the IL, and Jack Flaherty has struggled to start the season. Montero is making a great case to remain in the rotation for the Tigers and is also helping keep his team relevant at a crucial time.
Tigers’ Keider Montero Making Good on His Chance
Montero has been a staple of AJ Hinch’s pitching chaos for a few seasons now. While he previously got chances as a starter in 2024, last season saw the Venezuela native bounce between the bullpen and Triple-A Toledo. Montero features a solid fastball and sinker, but last season was unable to spot those pitches properly. Leading to an over-reliance on the slider. On top of that, his change-up wasn’t fooling left-handed hitters, making them a real challenge for the pitcher.
The Tigers worked with Montero over the winter to help him spot his fastballs much better, improve his change-up, and adjust his pitch mix. Last season, the hurler threw sliders over 20% of the time, often leaning on the pitch when struggling. Montero also shied away from the change-up, selecting that pitch just 12% of the time. Meanwhile, Montero threw fastballs about 50% of the time. This season, however, Montero is throwing the change-up about as often as the slider, both right around 16% of the time.
The results through the first six weeks of the season have been superb. Following Friday’s loss to the Royals, Montero owns a dominant 0.96 WHIP with opponents hitting just .205 off the hurler. Despite being left off the Tigers’ opening day roster, Montero has also thrown the third-most innings on the team and registered the fifth-most strikeouts.
Keider locks it down AGAIN 🔥
6.0 IP | 3 H | 1 ER | 1 BB | 4 K
62% Strikes2 ER over his last 12.2 IP and down to a 3.18 ERA on the season. #DNMW pic.twitter.com/CBVaULhw74
— DataBase Hit (@DatabaseHit) May 9, 2026
Critical Time for Detroit
The team is without Skubal. The southpaw underwent successful surgery on Wednesday to remove a loose body from his throwing elbow. Although early signs are good, he will still miss months, and the Tigers likely won’t see him again until July. Additionally, Verlander has appeared just once since re-signing in Detroit over the winter. He’s due to face live hitters this weekend before the Tigers decide on where his first rehab start will come. Mize is eligible to return from the IL next week and threw an encouraging bullpen on Friday.
However, before returning, the Tigers still have innings to fill. Journeyman Burch Smith is slated as an opener on Saturday, while the bullpen will again be called upon heavily on Sunday. An off day on Monday gives the pitching staff a much-needed breather as Framber Valdez is due back from suspension Tuesday when the team opens a series in Queens against the New York Mets. While the rotation can rely on Montero, the bullpen has struggled mightily at times this season, and there remain many questions over how the Tigers will make late-inning outs.
Kyle Finnegan, normally a bright spot coming on in relief, looked uncomfortable on the mound against the Royals, throwing 12 pitches, giving up two runs, and failing to register an out. Carl Edwards Jr. has been signed to a minor league deal after being released by the Mets, and could give the team some help in the middle innings. However, even after the rotation gets healthy again, the Tigers will need to address this pitching staff before the trade deadline to remain competitive in the playoff chase.
Main Photo Credit: Peter Aiken-Imagn Images
