Troy Melton missed his most recent turn in the Detroit rotation due to back tightness. The right-hander avoided a trip to the injured list, however, and is scheduled to start for the Tigers against the visiting Chicago White Sox on Saturday.

The Tigers won the opener of the three-game series 4-3 on Friday.

Melton (3-0, 2.81 ERA) had his season debut delayed until late May due to right elbow inflammation. He has wasted no time giving the Tigers’ rotation a boost, winning three of his first four starts.

The only time Melton didn’t notch a victory came against the White Sox on May 29, but it was a quality performance. He limited Chicago to one run and six hits in seven innings, but the Tigers lost 4-3 in 10 innings.

Melton is 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA in three career outings (two starts) against the White Sox.

Keeping Melton healthy is crucial for the Tigers, who continue to deal with a host of injuries.

Justin Verlander, who has pitched just once this season due to a left hip ailment, was slated to return on Sunday. Instead, he will be out several more weeks due to a left hamstring strain.

Starter Jack Flaherty is on the injured list due to a left ankle injury.

Key position players Gleyber Torres, Wenceel Perez, Javier Baez and Parker Meadows are also sidelined. Perez fractured his left orbital bone in Houston this week when he was hit in the face by a resistance band.

“We will know more when we get through the eye doctor and face doctor and see where he’s at in terms of activity level. But he’s safe and he’s in a good place,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “The swelling has started to go down.”

The Tigers called up 27-year-old outfielder Trei Cruz from Triple-A Toledo to take his place. Cruz’s grandfather, Jose Cruz, and father, Jose Cruz Jr., both played in the majors. Trei Cruz went hitless in three at-bats on Friday in his major league debut.

“He’s had to work hard to get here,” Hinch said. “It just shows, not everyone’s journey to the big leagues is a smooth ride. I love that he’s been tough enough to handle it.”

No matter who is wearing the White Sox uniform this season is seemingly producing. Chicago called up Junior Perez from Triple-A Charlotte this week to fill in for Everson Pereira, who sustained a concussion while hitting the outfield wall as he made a catch against the New York Yankees on Wednesday.

Perez delivered the first two hits of his career on Friday, including a solo homer.

“He is an above-average runner, defender on the corners and projects about average in center field,” White Sox manager Will Venable said. “Stolen bases are part of his game. He has plus power and makes plus decisions at the plate. He is very similar to Pereira.”

Perez played 36 games for Triple-A Las Vegas in the Athletics’ system this season before the White Sox acquired him in a trade last month.

Sean Newcomb was a late choice to be the opener for the Saturday contest as Venable will employ a bullpen game. It will be his first start this year after 28 relief outings.

The 33-year-old left-hander exited his most recent appearance on Wednesday against the Yankees due to a left triceps contusion after getting hit by Anthony Volpe’s line drive. He allowed three runs on three hits in two-thirds of an inning.

Newcomb has a 1.74 ERA and no decisions in five career appearances (all in relief) vs. the Tigers. He did not give up a hit in 2 2/3 scoreless innings against Detroit on May 29.

–Field Level Media

While Cam Schlittler dominates every few games, Ben Rice seemingly is productive every day for the New York Yankees.

Rice is among the reasons the Yankees are off to a good start since losing Aaron Judge to a right rib stress fracture, and the first baseman will attempt to contribute to another victory Saturday in New York against the struggling Cincinnati Reds.

The Yankees are 10-5 since Judge last played on May 31. New York also is 16-6 in its past 22 games.

New York opened the series with a 5-0 victory on Friday. Schlittler struck out 13 batters in six dominant innings for his first career double-digit strikeout game in the regular season.

Schlittler also was supported by another big hit from Rice. The 27-year-old slugger belted a three-run homer and is batting .320 (8-for-25) with three homers and seven RBIs in his past six games.

Since May 26, Rice is hitting .333 (27-for-81) with five home runs and 19 RBIs in 20 games.

“He’s the lead man,” Schlittler said of Rice, who has 21 homers and 52 RBIs. “He’s a front-runner right now, and with Judge being out now, guys have stepped up and he’s been a huge piece of that and you expect that out of him.”

Aside from trying to quiet Rice’s bat, the Reds will attempt to generate more offense. After scoring 17 runs in a pair of wins over the New York Mets earlier this week, the Reds have scored once (an unearned run) and struck out 26 times over their past two games while facing Nolan McLean and Schlittler.

On Friday, the Reds finished with four hits and struck out a season-worst 17 times.

Eugenio Suarez struck out three times and is 11-for-58 (.190) in June. Sal Stewart is 12-for-60 (.200) this month, while Spencer Steer is 6-for-50 (.120) after fanning twice. The trio combined to go 1-for-12 in the opener at Yankee Stadium.

“It’s been a tough stretch for us,” Suarez said. “We have a really good team. At some point, we are going to be where we want to be.”

The Reds are 5-11 since losing Elly De La Cruz to a right hamstring strain. The shortstop may be close to returning after homering in his first rehab game for Triple-A Louisville on Friday.

After Schlittler’s dominant showing, Will Warren (7-1, 3.47 ERA) heads into his first career start against Cincinnati. The right-hander hopes to give the Yankees a longer outing after failing to complete five innings during no-decisions at Cleveland and at Toronto in his latest two appearances.

Warren threw 91 pitches in 4 1/3 innings of three-run ball against the Guardians on June 8. On Sunday, he fired a season-high 98 pitches in four innings while giving up two runs on eight hits against the Blue Jays.

Warren is 3-0 with a 3.48 ERA in his past six starts since allowing six runs in four innings during a 6-1 loss to Texas on May 6.

Left-hander Andrew Abbott (4-4, 3.95), who is 0-2 with a 3.91 ERA in his past four starts, gets the ball for Cincinnati on Saturday. Abbott has allowed three runs or fewer in each of his past nine starts, including a no-decision against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday, when he allowed one run on four hits in five innings.

Abbott earned the win in his only career start against the Yankees. He gave up one run on three hits in 6 1/3 innings during a 3-2 victory on July 3, 2024, in New York.

–Field Level Media

After posting their largest comeback win of the season, the Texas Rangers will look to carry that momentum into the second contest of a three-game set with the San Diego Padres on Saturday afternoon in Arlington, Texas.

Texas, which had dropped five of its last six games, trailed 5-0 in the first inning on Friday before answering with six runs in the bottom of the inning en route to a 9-7 win.

With his team in the American League postseason picture as the halfway point of the regular season approaches, Texas manager Skip Schumaker said he hopes his club’s tenacity in the series opener is a sign of things to come.

“It was a much-needed win, and the comeback was what this team needed to show that they can do this and that they’re capable of doing this,” Schumaker said. “Because that’s going to happen again. I promise you there’s going to be a couple runs given up again in the first inning. What are we going to do about it? How are we going to respond? Today was a big day.”

Right-hander Nathan Eovaldi (6-7, 4.23 ERA) will make a rare home start for Texas on Saturday.

Eovaldi, 36, has seen his turn in the rotation come on the road in six of his last seven starts. He’s searching for his first win at Globe Life Field since April 29. The veteran allowed three runs on six hits in seven innings while striking out six in a 6-4 win at the Boston Red Sox on Sunday.

After sporting a 1.73 ERA in 22 starts last year, Eovaldi already has allowed more earned runs this year (41) than in all of 2025 (25). Following a solid performance in Boston, Eovaldi hopes to continue making life easy on his fellow pitchers.

“I always feel like I try to think about that,” Eovaldi said. “I think about the bullpen. I think about where we are in the standings. Everybody says it’s too early, but that’s what I focus on. I feel like I haven’t really been doing my part lately. I haven’t been going deep into games, or if I do, I give up a lot of runs.”

In seven career starts against San Diego, Eovaldi is 2-2 with a 3.35 ERA.

The Padres have dropped three of their past four games and 16 of their last 23. San Diego on Saturday will turn to right-hander Walker Buehler (4-3, 4.14 ERA), who will make his 15th start of the season.

Amid his best stretch of the season, the two-time All-Star is 1-0 with a 1.72 ERA in his last three outings and has seen his ERA drop from 5.05 since May 27.

Buehler earned a win over the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday, allowing just one run on six hits across five innings while striking out five in a 5-2 victory.

“It was a very impressive outing for Walker,” San Diego manager Craig Stammen said. “He keeps impressing us with his competitiveness and his ability to make pitches when he needs to.”

Buehler has faced the Rangers four times (all starts), compiling a 1-2 record and a 3.72 ERA.

–Field Level Media