Tigers Shut Down Colt Keith for Season With Sprained Left Thumb

Detroit infielder Colt Keith said he tried to play through a thumb injury before agreeing to end his season once the Tigers were eliminated from contention.

Detroit Tigers infielder Colt Keith will miss the rest of the season after the club moved him to the 10-day injured list Monday, Sept. 21, because of a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb. Wearing a brace on the thumb ahead of Tuesday's game with Washington, Keith explained that the problem began during last week's series in Toronto, when his glove got caught in the netting while he was making a play against the Blue Jays.

Keith said swinging was difficult because he lacked full strength in his top hand, but he kept playing until Detroit fell out of the playoff race. He chose to stop rather than risk complicating his offseason, and no surgery is required. Manager A.J. Hinch said Keith told him during the Chicago series that the thumb had dropped below an acceptable level, and that benching him for several days would not have made sense given the recovery timeline of a few weeks.

The injury closes a disappointing year for the 25-year-old, who needed 63 games to homer for the first time and set career lows in plate appearances (423), runs (51), home runs (10) and RBIs (36). He rebounded after a slow first three months, hitting .273/.362/.461 across 177 plate appearances from July 1 onward.

Keith, who made 49 starts at third base this year after playing second as a rookie in 2024, said he wants to claim a regular job next season and will focus this winter on adding power. In other Tigers news, Troy Melton remained without a formal update after reporting general tightness and soreness in his right arm during a Sept. 20 loss to the White Sox, though Melton does not believe it is connected to the elbow inflammation that cost him the first two months. Jack Flaherty, out since July 20 with right flexor inflammation, was set for a bullpen session Tuesday and could return during Detroit's final series against Pittsburgh.