Troy Melton dealing with ‘achy’ arm

Melton was placed on the injured list on September 21st with right arm fatigue and had reportedly been dealing with an “achy” arm for a few weeks. Unsurprisingly, that coincided with a major dip in production from the 25-year-old. The Tigers said that “Melton’s medical evaluation found no issues,” and he will head into the offseason as a fully healthy pitcher with a normal routine. This was Melton’s largest MLB sample yet, but he did throw 120 innings split between the minors and majors last season, so it’s at least a little concerning that his arm didn’t feel right at the end of the year. He will be a name to monitor in spring training.

It remains a bit murky regarding what exactly, if anything, is bothering Melton, which is the biggest concern from a long-term standpoint. He’s presumably headed for further evaluation and imaging to determine whether he’s dealing with any structural damage in his arm. The 25-year-old was lifted from Sunday’s start against the White Sox with a trainer in the fourth inning. He’s obviously done for the remainder of the season and finishes with an encouraging 2.76 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 94/37 K/BB ratio across 114 1/3 innings over 20 starts. He’s going to finish as a top-50 range fantasy starter, with his meteoric rise being fueled by a mechanical change that he made back in late June that led to a velocity spike. He’ll be a popular mid-round selection in drafts next spring.

Melton was just getting a visit from the pitching coach before the coach signaled to the trainer to come out, and Melton didn’t seem to make any argument to remain in the game. He allowed three runs in 3 2/3 innings versus the White Sox before departing.

Melton gave up five hits, walked four and struck out three. It was the shortest outing of his MLB career so far. Melton threw 76 pitches and was removed with the bases-loaded and two outs in the third inning. He has a 7.24 ERA in three starts in September after posting a 1.86 ERA in his first 16 starts this year. Melton is lined up to face the White Sox on the road this weekend.

It won’t qualify as one of the more aesthetically pleasing pitching lines of the season as Melton gave up seven hits, including a solo homer to Trevor Larnah in the fourth inning. He finished with just three strikeouts while issuing one walk and hitting two batters. Yet, it was still good enough for him to pick up his eighth win of the season. The 25-year-old is in line for a tasty home matchup against the Rockies to close out a two-start week on Sunday.

Melton gave up six hits, walked one and struck out four. He fell to 7-4 with the loss. Melton hadn’t allowed more than four runs in any of his 16 other starts this year. He has a 2.20 ERA. Melton is lined up to face the Guardians on the road on Sunday.

Melton didn’t walk anybody while striking out four and throwing 69 percent of his pitches for strikes. He had an 11 percent swinging strike rate in this one, but was really only missing bats with his slider. His four-seamer was down about one mph and didn’t get a single whiff on the day, which may have also been why Melton used it 19 percent less often than he normally does. Even though this was a solid outing, Melton’s last two starts have been two of his three worst starts of the season. He’s at 109 total innings on the season this year and threw over 120 last year, so he shouldn’t be tiring. With the Twins, Guardians, and Rockies up next, he should finish the season on a high note.

Melton struck out three batters in the ballgame while issuing three walks. The Royals scratched out an unearned run against him in the fourth inning, then Melton served up solo homers to Kyle Isbel in the fifth and Vinnie Pasquantino in the sixth. The 25-year-old righty got nine whiffs on 94 pitches on the night, registering a CSW of only 20 percent. He’ll look to get back in the win column as he carries a spectacular 1.60 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and a 76/28 K/BB ratio (90 innings) into Wednesday’s matchup against the Rays.

Melton opened the game allowing the first two batters to reach and surrendered a run on a base hit before getting out of the first inning. Melton continued to labor through the next two innings, stranding two runners in the second before giving up a pair of runs on three hits in the third. He completed a scoreless fourth inning, then recorded one out in the fifth, departing with a runner on at 87 pitches. He struck out four. The 25-year-old right-hander had gone his previous three starts without allowing a run. He’ll take a 1.71 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and a 73/25 K/BB ratio across 84 1/3 innings into a start against the Royals in Kansas City on Friday.

Melton struck out five and walked one while throwing 65 percent of his pitches for strikes and posting a 15 percent swinging strike rate. Melton missed plenty of bats with his four-seamer and splitter and has allowed more than one run once in a start since June 9. He’s become one of the more reliable starters in fantasy this season and has a 1.46 ERA in his 80 innings.