(Photo credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images)

The Kansas City Royals are hoping for a boost Friday from the expected mound return of right-hander Seth Lugo.

It comes just in time for a second go-around against right-hander Casey Mize and the American League Central-leading Detroit Tigers, winners of four straight.

All-Stars Lugo (3-4, 3.02 ERA) and left-hander Cole Ragans both went on the injured list May 17, but the former is slated to return for this important series opener against a division rival. The 35-year-old Lugo has recorded quality starts in six of his nine 2025 outings and owns a 2.41 ERA in six starts at home.

However, a sprained middle finger has kept Lugo off a big-league mound since he allowed three runs on two homers, plus four other hits, while striking out five without a walk in six innings of a 3-1 loss to Boston on May 11.

'At this point of the season, it is better to get healthy and be 100 percent out there than try to push through,' Lugo said.

His return comes at a perfect time for the Royals, who are amid a 6-11 stretch but avoided being swept by Cincinnati at home with Wednesday's 3-2 victory. Kansas City last won back-to-back home contests during a five-game winning streak from May 5-9.

It also comes against the Tigers, who are 17 games over .500 and just swept a three-game home series from San Francisco.

'We find different ways to win,' said Detroit manager A.J. Hinch, whose club took three of four from Kansas City during their first series from April 17-20.

'We've shown it over and over again that we're going to try to beat you with our 26 guys.'

Lugo yielded only a fifth-inning, three-run homer to Spencer Torkelson, along with four other hits, over 6 2/3 of a 3-1 defeat at Detroit on April 19. That was his first loss in five career starts opposite the Tigers, against whom he owns a 2.78 ERA.

During that April matchup, Lugo squared off with Mize (6-1, 2.45 ERA), who is off to the best start of his five-year, big-league career. He allowed only a Freddy Fermin homer, three other hits and a walk over seven innings against the Royals.

Mize, who also missed a little more than two weeks with a hamstring issue, returned Saturday versus Cleveland, allowing two runs -- one earned -- with four hits and a walk while striking out six over five innings of a 7-5 loss. All while also dealing with the flu.

'That was a gutsy performance by Casey,' Hinch said. 'His temperament was very methodical. Very even-keeled.'

Kansas City's Maikel Garcia is batting .380 during a 13-game hitting streak but went 0-for-3 versus Mize last month. However, teammate Jonathan India was 3-for-4 in that contest and has posted back-to-back two-hit games.

Detroit's Javier Baez is 1-for-11 with six strikeouts in the last five games, but he's a career .353 hitter versus Lugo. Teammate Gleyber Torres is batting .333 with three homers and 12 RBIs in his last 10 games at Kansas City.

--Field Level Media