Tigers' Mize shut down for rest of season

The regular season is winding down, but Casey Mize's year is ending a little early. 
The top Tigers prospect was shut down for the final two weeks after logging 109 1/3 innings in his first full season, Detroit vice president of player development Dave Littlefield told reporters Wednesday. Mize will remain with the club through the stretch run and then report to the Tigers' instructional league on Sept. 13.

"We've made the decision after review and talking to Casey that we're going to skip his next three starts to end the season," Littlefield said. 

The first overall pick in the 2018 Draft started the year with Class A Advanced Lakeland and dominated with a 2-0 record, an 0.88 ERA, a 0.52 WHIP and 30 strikeouts in 30 2/3 innings in the Florida State League. MLB.com's No. 2 overall prospect earned a promotion to Double-A on April 25. 
Mize kept things status quo in the Eastern League, posting a 6-0 record and a 1.21 ERA through his first nine starts on the circuit. The right-hander left his start against Reading on June 13 after 2 1/3 innings. He was diagnosed with right shoulder inflammation and was put on the seven-day injured list. 
The Auburn product made two rehab starts with Lakeland before returning to Erie on July 21. But Mize wasn't as sharp, going 0-3 with a 7.09 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP in his six outings for the SeaWolves. Littlefield said the decision to end the hurler's season early was not a medical decision. 

"It's simply that he's done so well this year and basically as we see and evaluate it and look at it from all different ends, the time was right to shut him down," Littlefield told the media. "It wasn't any one thing. He wanted to pitch. We love that part of it. But we have to keep in mind it's his first pro season.
"For a guy that's in his first full season that has experienced what professional baseball demands, especially coming into Major League camp, it's not one thing in particular, but the whole body of work."
The 22-year-old ended his season with an 8-4 record, a 2.55 ERA and 106 strikeouts across 21 starts in two levels.
Beau Burrows, the club's No. 14 prospect, also was shut down after going 3-6 with a 4.84 ERA and 69 strikeouts over 74 1/3 innings, mostly with Triple-A Toledo. Littlefield told MLB.com that Burrows' injury was "fairly significant" and he'll miss the instructs and the Arizona Fall League.