Tigers RHP Casey Mize headed for MRI on sore groin

Detroit starter Casey Mize left in the third inning of the Tigers' Tuesday game against the host Atlanta Braves due to right groin tightness and he will undergo an MRI exam on Wednesday.

Mize, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft, appeared to grimace after fielding a soft grounder from Atlanta's Drake Baldwin and tossing an underhanded throw to first to record an out.

Detroit manager A.J. Hinch and the team trainer examined Mize, who was immediately removed from the game.

"He came up pretty tentative and he wanted to throw a pitch, but we're not going to mess with that in April," Hinch said after the Tigers' 5-2 loss. "And just given how he was describing how he was feeling, we took him out of the game. He'll get checked out. I have no idea the severity or anything like that, yet."

Mize said the issue first arose in the second inning.

"It wasn't like a one pitch, like grab thing, it was kind of like a gradual tightening up a little bit. So I made it through that inning. Then we did some tests on it in between innings, and felt like good enough to go back out there, but it kind of just never really went away."

A first-time All-Star last season, Mize is off to a strong start this season with a 2-2 record and 2.90 ERA through six starts. He took the loss on Tuesday after giving up two runs on three hits, striking out three and walking one in 2 1/3 innings.

--Field Level Media