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Montero (1-1) picked up the win in Friday's 2-0 victory over the Marlins, allowing two hits and a walk over six scoreless innings. He struck out seven.
Taking his second turn in the rotation in place of Justin Verlander (hip), Montero fired 55 of 80 pitches for strikes as he delivered his first quality start since July 7 of last season. The 25-year-old righty has looked very good since being called up, posting a 1.74 ERA, 0.68 WHIP and 10:2 K:BB in 10.1 innings, a performance that takes the pressure off Detroit to get Verlander back on the mound quickly. The 43-year-old future Hall of Famer has a bullpen session scheduled for Saturday, and how he emerges from that will likely determine whether Montero will get the ball next week during a home series against the Royals.
Tigers' Keider Montero: Takes loss despite hot start
Rotowire
Montero (0-1) took the loss Sunday against the Cardinals, allowing three runs (two earned) on three hits and one walk while striking out three over 4.1 innings.
Making his first start of the season in place of Justin Verlander (hip), Montero was sharp early, retiring 12 of the first 13 batters he faced and holding St. Louis scoreless through four innings. The right-hander ran into trouble in the fifth however, allowing three baserunners, including an RBI single from Pedro Pages that ended his outing. Both inherited runners eventually came around to score, accounting for his final line. Sunday's strong start was an encouraging sign for Montero after he posted a 4.37 ERA and 1.39 WHIP with 72 strikeouts across 90.2 innings in 2025 and he'll look to build on the early success in his next outing against a Miami lineup that has started the season swinging well.
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Tigers' Keider Montero: Recalled from Toledo
Rotowire
The Tigers recalled Montero from Triple-A Toledo on Saturday, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.
The 25-year-old righty will join the big-league rotation as a replacement for Justin Verlander, who landed on the injured list Saturday with a hip injury. Montero made 20 appearances (12 starts) with the Tigers last season, posting a 4.37 ERA and 1.39 WHIP over 90.2 innings. He began the 2026 campaign by throwing four shutout frames in Triple-A while allowing just one hit and one walk. He'll make his MLB season debut Sunday against the Cardinals.
Tigers' Keider Montero: Sent packing to minors camp
Rotowire
The Tigers optioned Montero to minor-league camp Wednesday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
Montero had seemed to have a good shot to break camp in a long man or swingman role, so it's a surprise he's an early March cut. He struggled in his first two Grapefruit League outings but tossed three scoreless frames in Wednesday's exhibition contest against Team Panama. Even though he won't be with them on Opening Day, Montero remains likely to spend a large chunk of the season with the Tigers.
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Tigers' Keider Montero: Middling spring results so far
Rotowire
Montero allowed two runs on five hits with no walks and no strikeouts across three innings during Thursday's Grapefruit League against the Orioles.
Montero has now made two appearances this spring, and he's allowed five runs on eight hits across five innings of work, while striking out two. The righty delivered a serviceable 4.37 ERA across 90.2 regular-season innings last year, working primarily as a starter. However, with the Tigers adding Framber Valdez and Justin Verlander to their rotation in the offseason, Montero will likely have to settle for competing for a long-relief role to begin the year.
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Tigers' Keider Montero: Goes 4.1 innings vs. Red Sox
Rotowire
Montero didn't factor into the decision Saturday against Boston, allowing one run on five hits across 4.1 innings. He struck out seven.
While Montero had a short leash Saturday, it was a strong bounce-back outing for the right-hander, after he gave up three runs in three innings while walking four against Atlanta his last time out. The 25-year-old Montero will finish the regular season at 5-3 with a 4.37 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 72:31 K:BB across 90.2 innings.
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Tigers' Keider Montero: Short outing Saturday
Rotowire
Montero didn't factor into the decision in Saturday's 6-5 loss to Atlanta, giving up three runs on two hits and four walks over three innings. He struck out two.
The right-hander needed 69 pitches (40 strikes) to record nine outs, and both hits off Montero left the yard in the third to help chase him from the game. Since returning to the majors in September, Montero's posted a 3.46 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 12:6 K:BB through four appearances (two starts) and 13 innings. He's expected to make one more start before the end of the regular season, on the road next weekend in Boston.
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Tigers' Keider Montero: Picking up another start
Rotowire
Montero is slated to start Saturday's game against Atlanta at Comerica Park.
After being called up from Triple-A Toledo on Sept. 3, Montero made his first two appearances with the Tigers as a reliever before being called upon to make a start in Miami last Sunday. The right-hander acquitted himself well in that outing, earning a win while striking out five over five shutout innings. He'll be rewarded with another turn through the rotation as a result of his prior performance, and he could have a slightly longer leash after tossing just 76 pitches against the Marlins before being removed from the contest.
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Tigers' Keider Montero: Cruises to victory
Rotowire
Motero (5-3) allowed three hits over five scoreless innings Sunday, striking out five and earning a win over the Marlins.
Montero gave up three singles and did not allow a runner to reach scoring position. He fell short of a quality start but tossed 50 strikes on 76 total pitches; it was his highest pitch count since July 25, which was his last MLB appearance before spending just over a month with Triple-A Toledo. Montero now owns a 4.32 ERA with a 63:27 K:BB through 83.1 MLB innings this season. He's lined up for a home start against Atlanta next weekend.
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Tigers' Keider Montero: Drawing start Sunday
Rotowire
Montero will start for the Tigers during Sunday's game in Miami, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.
For at least one turn, Montero will take the rotation spot of Sawyer Gipson-Long, who landed on the injured list Friday due to neck stiffness. Montero is no stranger to a starting role, as he's made nine starts (out of 17 appearances) this season and has completed as many as eight innings in a contest (May 8 against Colorado). Montero was dispatched to the minors in late July, and since returning to the big-league club Sept. 3, he's made two appearances in relief, allowing two earned runs with a 5:2 K:BB over five innings. Because he'll be pitching on just two days' rest after tossing 1.2 innings in Thursday's loss to the Yankees, Montero will likely be in line for an abbreviated workload during Sunday's start. Stavenhagen suggests that Jose Urquidy could be called upon to work multiple innings in relief behind Montero.
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Tigers' Keider Montero: Back up with big club
Rotowire
The Tigers recalled Montero from Triple-A Toledo on Wednesday.
He'll join the 28-man active roster as a replacement for Chris Paddack, who was placed on the bereavement list. Montero will give the Tigers bullpen some much-needed length after their relievers had to cover five innings in Tuesday's 12-5 loss to the Mets.
The Tigers optioned Montero to Triple-A Toledo on Saturday.
The 25-year-old righty will be pushed out of the big-league rotation following Tarik Skubal's return from the paternity list. Montero will aim to turn things around in the minors after a poor start to the second half, as he's surrendered 10 runs (nine earned) across just 8.1 innings over his last two starts.
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Tigers' Keider Montero: Allows five earned runs in loss
Rotowire
Montero (4-3) allowed six runs (five earned) on nine hits across four innings to take the loss Friday against the Blue Jays. He struck out three.
Montero ran into a hot Toronto team and continued his recent stretch of poor performances. Over his last three outings, he's been tagged for 12 earned runs across 11.1 innings. In his three prior starts, Montero had looked a lot better, allowing just four earned runs over 16 innings. Overall, the 25-year-old has a 4.66 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 53 strikeouts across 73.1 innings this year. With Troy Melton getting called up for his MLB debut Wednesday. the Tigers could have some competition for the No. 5 spot in their rotation moving forward. That could squeeze Montero out, though he's also a candidate to start again in the near future if Melton struggles or if another starter sustains an injury.
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Tigers' Keider Montero: Goes just 4.1 frames in start
Rotowire
Montero (4-2) took the loss against Texas on Saturday, allowing four runs on four hits and three walks while striking out five batters over 4.1 innings.
Montero has bounced between a traditional starting role and bulk relief this season -- Saturday marked his eighth start across 14 total outings. The right-hander didn't fare well against the Rangers, and most of the runs he allowed came in the second inning on a three-run homer by Rowdy Tellez. Overall, Montero tossed just 47 of 82 pitches for strikes and notched only four whiffs, though he still managed to record more punchouts than innings. With a 4.28 ERA on the campaign, Montero hasn't made an overwhelming case to stick in the rotation, and it remains to be seen if he'll eventually lose his spot to Sawyer Gipson-Long (neck), who is nearing the end of a minor-league rehab assignment.
Tigers' Keider Montero: Returns to starting role Saturday
Rotowire
Montero is scheduled to start Saturday's game against the Rangers in Arlington.
After getting called up from Triple-A Toledo on July 7 and notching a quality start in a win over the Rays later that day, Montero shifted to the bullpen for the Tigers' final series before the All-Star break, covering three innings and allowing three runs in an appearance against the Mariners last Saturday. Montero will move back into the rotation to begin the second half, though his hold on a starting role could be tenuous. Sawyer Gipson-Long (neck) is in the midst of a rehab assignment and could bump Montero from the rotation once he's activated from the 15-day injured list.
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