Up-and-down prospect Keider Montero pitching to earn Tigers' rotation spot

Keider Montero's first MLB job has centered on serving as a secondhand rotational player with the Detroit Tigers.

Six times last season, Montero was called up by the Tigers. Twice, he was summoned for a doubleheader spot start.

Six times, he made the nearly one-hour drive back to Toledo, Ohio, returning to the Triple-A Mud Hens to wait for his next opportunity.

"The message (to him) has really been to control what he can and continue to push forward in the areas where we want him to get better," Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said, as reported by MLB.com. "He takes everything in stride. He trusts himself. He trusts us.

"He knows he's going to be part of this. He clearly wants to be a regular with us and he will be. I don't know when and I don't know how long or how much."

In short, Montero shouldn't get comfortable in Detroit.

Not yet, anyway.

Tigers' Keider Montero seeks long-term MLB role 

The Tigers entered the regular season with what appeared to be a deep starting staff, headlined by two-time AL Cy Young award winner Tarik Skubal. High-profile free-agent acquisition Framber Valdez, veteran Jack Flaherty, potential Hall of Famer Justin Verlander and Casey Mize, the 2018 No. 1 overall draft pick, broke camp as the initial rotation.

Before Valdez and Verlander signed prior to the start of spring training, however, Montero trained as if a starting spot was available to earn. The third-year professional lost the numbers game -- again.    

And once again, when the Tigers faced a rotational void with Verlander's injury, Hinch reached out to Montero, who started Friday's 2-0 victory over the hard-running Miami Marlins (8-6) at Comerica Park. Making his second start, Montero (1-1) yielded zero runs on two hits, striking out seven and walking one. 

The velocity on his fastballs averaged 96.3 mph, up from 93.9 mph last season.

Over the past three seasons, he made 40 appearances (29 starts), posting an 11-10 record with a 4.56 earned-run average.

Are the Tigers showcasing Montero for a possible trade?

Should Montero ever get comfortable in Detroit?