Tarik Skubal To Undergo Surgery To Remove Loose Bodies From Elbow
The Tigers received a gut-punch medical update, as ace Tarik Skubal is headed for arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow, manager A.J. Hinch tells the team’s beat (link via Evan Woodbery of MLive.com). A timetable for his recovery has not yet been determined, but Skubal will obviously be placed on the 15-day injured list for now. The Tigers will recall righty Ty Madden and go with a bullpen game opened by Tyler Holton in Skubal’s place tonight.
Skubal has been his typically excellent self so far in 2026. He’s started seven games, totaled 43 1/3 innings and notched a tidy 2.70 ERA to begin the season. His average fastball is down about a mile per hour relative to last year’s 97.6 mph peak, but this year’s 96.6 mph average is right in line with his 2024 levels, when he won the first of his two Cy Young trophies. Skubal has fanned 27.1% of his opponents against a superlative 3.6% walk rate.
Though it may not be the strongest start of Skubal’s career, his track record makes him the consensus top pitcher in the American League — if not all of MLB. Losing him for what will surely be an extended period is brutal for the Tigers, particularly given the team’s lackluster start to the season. Detroit is 18-17, tied with Cleveland for first place in the American League Central. Had the Tigers rushed out to a big lead, the loss of their ace — while still demoralizing — might have been easier to weather. Instead, their pedestrian play thus far has kept even the last-place Twins (15-20) within three games of a share of the division lead.
Every injury is different, but precedent suggests that Skubal should still be able to return to the mound this year. He’s not even a lock to be placed on the 60-day IL. Illustrating the variety of possible outcomes here, Atlanta’s Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep both underwent surgery to remove loose bodies within days of each other this spring. Schwellenbach was immediately placed on the 60-day IL and still hasn’t begun throwing despite a nearly two-month layoff. Waldrep, meanwhile, was never placed on the 60-day IL and is set to throw bullpen sessions this week. He could feasibly return by late May or early June.
Cautioning that the absence might “only” be two to three months isn’t much of a silver lining for Detroit fans, but it’s still noteworthy that Skubal has a very real chance of being back later this summer — possibly with a decent portion of the season left. In the meantime, however, the Tigers’ rotation depth is being put through the wringer.
Skubal joins Casey Mize, Justin Verlander and Reese Olson on the injured list. Mize is dealing with a groin strain. Verlander has inflammation in his hip. Olson underwent shoulder surgery and will miss the entire 2026 season. Prized young righty Jackson Jobe is also on the 60-day injured list while he continues his yearlong rehab from last June’s Tommy John surgery. Jobe could potentially be an option in July or August. It’s possible he and Skubal will be ramping up to return to the rotation around the same time, even. Another promising young right-hander, Troy Melton, has been out all season due to an elbow strain.
With so many pitchers on the shelf, the Tigers will go with Framber Valdez, Jack Flaherty and Keider Montero atop the rotation for the time being. Swingman Drew Anderson is an obvious candidate for the rotation. He’s posted a 5.12 ERA in 19 1/3 innings of relief this season but was dominant in the Korea Baseball Organization last year and signed a one-year, $7MM contract in free agency this winter. Anderson’s 26.5% strikeout rate, 10.8% walk rate and 13.7% swinging-strike rate all suggest that his ERA ought to be a fair bit lower; metrics like SIERA (3.45) and xERA (4.06) are far more bullish on his work.
Righty Sawyer Gipson-Long is on the 40-man roster down in Triple-A and could get a look at some point. Several of the Tigers’ minor league arms — Jake Miller, Troy Watson, Joseph Montalvo — are on the injured list in Triple-A and Double-A as well. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Detroit try to go outside the organization for some more depth, though it’s in short supply this time of season. Mize and Verlander will have spots waiting for them upon return, but Verlander has been down about a month already and isn’t yet on a rehab assignment, while the Tigers haven’t given a clear indication of how long Mize will be shelved.
The more immediate concern is how the Tigers navigate this injury and what it does to their chances in the American League Central, of course. However, Skubal’s surgery and how he pitches upon returning also cloud what could be the most lucrative trip to free agency for any pitcher in history.
Skubal clearly won’t be winning a third straight Cy Young Award now. A setback, a longer-than-anticipated rehab process and/or poor performance upon returning from the injured list could all impact what was shaping up to be the loftiest earning power of any pitcher in MLB history. If he makes it back to the mound midsummer and immediately snaps back into old form, it’s possible the injury won’t ultimately weigh down his contract much, but there are too many unknowns right now to gauge the situation with any semblance of certainty.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post first reported that Skubal was being scratched from his start tonight.
Tigers Select Zack Short, Designate Grant Holman For Assignment
The Tigers announced that they are selecting the contract of infielder Zack Short for tonight’s game with the Rangers. Fellow infielder Jace Jung was optioned to Triple-A Toledo, and right-hander Grant Holman was designated for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man for Short. (Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press was among those to relay the moves before the Tigers’ official announcement.)
Short was acquired in a trade from the Nationals two days ago, and the infielder is now poised to get his first big league action of the 2026 season. It’s a bit of a full-circle moment for Short, who spent his first three Major League seasons in Detroit after debuting in 2021. Short hasn’t hit much (.172/.271/.296) over his 594 career plate appearances, yet his ability to play multiple positions brings depth to a Tigers club that is dealing with a rash of injuries.
Gleyber Torres is day to day with side tightness, while Javier Baez, Zach McKinstry, and Parker Meadows have all gone to the injured list over the last few weeks. Shortstop Trey Sweeney also has yet to play this season due to a shoulder strain. It would seem like Short’s primary backup role will be shortstop since the Tigers currently have nobody behind Kevin McGonigle, though it doesn’t look like the hot-hitting McGonigle will be coming out of the lineup any time soon.
This is the fourth time in less than three months that Holman has been DFA’ed, as the righty has gone from the A’s to the Diamondbacks to the Dodgers and finally to the Tigers on a series of waiver claims. Amidst all of these moves, Holman hasn’t gotten any looks in the majors this season, and a 6.75 ERA over four innings and three appearances for Toledo didn’t turn any heads in Detroit.
Holman has two minor league options remaining, and he delivered a sparkling 0.47 ERA over 58 minor league innings in 2024-25. His 4.66 ERA, 18.8% strikeout rate, and 10.2% walk rate over 38 2/3 career MLB innings with the Athletics over those two seasons is less impressive, but it is easy to see why teams keep stepping up to claim Holman as a depth arm. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Holman changes organizations yet again during the DFA period, though if he does clear waivers, the Tigers can outright him to Triple-A.
Tigers Notes: Torres, Verlander, Melton
Tigers second baseman Gleyber Torres left tonight’s game with left side tightness, per Chris McCosky of the Detroit News. He had two singles in his first two plate appearances and was thrown out at home in the first, showing no obvious signs of injury. Although Torres remained in the game through the third inning, he was replaced by Hao-Yu Lee at the keystone in the top of the fourth. Torres is undergoing further evaluation, according to McCosky.
Pulling Torres may turn out to be a cautionary move. Two of Detroit’s infielders – Zach McKinstry and Javier Báez – landed on the injured list in April. The starting infielders have done well at the plate, particularly Kevin McGonigle, but the injuries to McKinstry and Báez still depleted the Tigers’ infield depth. They called up Lee when McKinstry went down, and they also acquired Zack Short as depth yesterday. A Torres IL placement would be a more significant hit than McKinstry or Báez, though, so it makes sense for the club to pull him from the game out of caution. The team will likely announce more in the next few days, pending the outcome of Torres’ evaluations.
On the pitching side, injured right-hander Justin Verlander is set to throw a bullpen session this weekend, according to the team’s injury report. Verlander landed on the 15-day IL on April 4 due to left hip inflammation, with Keider Montero being recalled in his place. The injury was described as minor and the IL placement precautionary, though it was perhaps unsurprising given the injuries Verlander has experienced in his 40s. It’s unclear if he will require a rehab assignment. It’s possible the team will have a clearer timeline pending the outcome of the bullpen session.
As with their infield, Detroit’s rotation depth has been tested recently. Casey Mize had a 2.90 ERA through 31 innings but was placed on the 15-day IL on Wednesday for a right adductor strain. Jack Flaherty has a 5.90 ERA and has failed to complete five innings in five of his seven starts. Montero has filled in decently, but the lack of depth behind Tarik Skubal and Framber Valdez may be a point of concern going forward. A quick return for Verlander would go a long way to improving that, especially if he can repeat his serviceable back-end performance from 2025 with the Giants.
Troy Melton will also factor into the rotation depth. He was placed on the 60-day IL in early March after being slowed in camp by elbow inflammation. According to the team’s announcement, Melton is set to begin a rehab assignment with the Tigers’ Low-A affiliate tomorrow. The righty had a 2.76 ERA in 45 2/3 innings as a swingman last year and will continue to be built up as a starter. He’ll need a longer rehab assignment to build his pitch count, but he could vie for starts in a month or so if all goes well.
Checking In On Hitters Who Accepted Qualifying Offers
Out of 13 players who received the qualifying offer this winter, four chose to accept. There were two hitters in that group: Trent Grisham and Gleyber Torres. Grisham was coming off a career-best year with the Yankees, in which he hit 34 home runs and tallied a 129 wRC+ even as his defense regressed. Meanwhile, Torres posted a 113 wRC+ for the Tigers in 2025 and earned his third career All-Star nomination, rebounding nicely from an underwhelming final year in New York. In the end, both opted to remain with their clubs, locking in a $22.025MM salary for 2026 and setting themselves up for a return trip to free agency after the season.
Today, we’ll take a look at how Grisham and Torres have performed in 2026 and whether they will live up to their qualifying offers.
Yankees: Trent Grisham
Grisham was a below-average hitter from 2022-24, as he struggled to make enough contact or take advantage of his power. He continued to provide value as a center fielder, earning 11 Defensive Runs Saved and 22 Outs Above Average in that three-year span. That made Grisham’s performance in 2025 all the more surprising. For the first time in a full season, he was a well above average hitter, while his defense regressed from being an asset to a liability (-11 DRS and -2 OAA). There were reasons to believe Grisham’s offense could stick. Behind the surface-level numbers, he posted career-highs in average exit velocity (91.1 MPH) and hard-hit rate (46.4%), in addition to cutting back slightly on strikeouts. If he could repeat as an above-average hitter, he would be a top center fielder in the game, even if his defense didn’t fully recover.
The early returns in 2026 have been underwhelming. Grisham’s .155/.297/.320 line through 118 plate appearances amounts to just a 79 wRC+ He is walking more and striking out less than 20% of the time, but his contact and power are lagging behind last year’s numbers. The Yankees aren’t sounding the alarm, though. As ugly as that batting average is, Grisham also been incredibly unlucky. He is batting just .151 on balls in play, which is more than 100 points below his career .259 mark. His expected batting average (.220) and expected slugging (.430) are also significantly higher than his actual numbers, so it’s likely that Grisham will improve as he gets more reps.
Beyond his output, the Yankees are also happy just to have continuity in their outfield. Jasson Dominguez was merely fine at the plate last year, though his defense remains a question mark long-term. He started this year in the minors and only returned for a few games before landing on the injured list. Otherwise, the trio of Cody Bellinger, Grisham, and Aaron Judge was one of the league’s best outfield trios last year, so it made sense to run it back. The club is hoping for more out of Grisham this year than what he’s provided so far, but the underlying metrics point to at least average offense as the season goes on. All things considered, the 2026 version of Grisham might be a solid center fielder, if not the force he was last year.
Tigers: Gleyber Torres
Torres improved his strikeout and walk rates from 2024 to 2025, while his power remained roughly the same. The incremental improvements brought his wRC+ from 105 to 113, making Torres one of the better hitting second basemen in the Majors. Defensively, Torres’ -4 DRS and -4 OAA at second base were in line with expectations, as he’s always been a below-average fielder. His defense will be a larger concern as he ages, but on a one-year, $15MM prove-it deal, the Tigers could afford it given Torres’ value on offense.
The jump from $15MM to $22.025MM wasn’t as drastic as Grisham’s salary increase (+$17.025MM) for the Yankees. From that lens, Torres was better positioned to provide value for the Tigers if he simply repeated last year’s output. So far in 2026, he has been slightly above average, but a step down from his 2025 numbers. To his credit, Torres is walking at a 17.6% clip and only striking out 15.5% of the time. However, that’s been undone by a drop in power. His isolated slugging is sitting at .070, a steep decline from last year’s mark of .132. Torres gets on base at a .380 clip, which mitigates the power drop somewhat, but he also doesn’t make enough contact to fully overcome it.
This performance isn’t entirely unexpected when viewed in context with Torres’ second-half numbers from 2025. After hitting over 40% better than average in May and June, he was roughly average in July (102 wRC+), then below average in August (94 wRC+) and September/October (82 wRC+). Torres was playing through pain and underwent surgery for a sports hernia in October, which partly explains the second-half decline. His average exit velocity is down to just 83.3 MPH in 2026, so it’s possible Torres is still dealing with the effects of a disrupted offseason and will need longer to get going. For now, he is getting on base enough to remain above average, and the club will bank on a full return to form the further away he gets from the surgery.
Photo courtesy of Vincent Carchietta, Imagn Images
Tigers Place Will Vest On 15-Day IL, DFA Yoniel Curet, Select Ricky Vanasco
The Tigers have placed right-hander Will Vest on the 15-day injured list due to right lateral forearm inflammation. Righty Ricky Vanasco‘s contract was selected from Triple-A Toledo in the corresponding move, and right-hander Yoniel Curet was designated for assignment to create space for Vanasco on the Tigers’ 40-man roster.
Vest last pitched on April 26, manager A.J. Hinch told reporters (including the Detroit Free Press’ Evan Petzold) that “there were times in the last three or four days that we thought we were going to get a breakthrough and have him available. [But], he continues to report the same soreness despite our efforts to get him back on the field.” Tests haven’t revealed any structural issues with Vest’s forearm, so the reliever may just be playing the waiting game until the inflammation subsides.
It would seem like Vest probably tried to work through or wait out the soreness, but without enough improvement to ensure a quick return to the mound, the decision was made to let Vest fully heal up with a proper IL trip. More details on the specifics of Vest’s forearm issue should come from Hinch today when the skipper meets with the media.
Vest has been a key part of the Tigers’ “pitching chaos” approach to relief pitching since 2022, and earned 23 saves as the team’s closer in 2025. While he has an uncharacteristic 6.17 ERA over 11 2/3 innings this season, Vest’s SIERA is a much more respectable 3.30 and his Statcast numbers are largely above average.
The only real red flag is an 11.5% walk rate that is much worse than Vest’s 7.8% career average. Vest’s .313 BABIP isn’t overtly high, yet it carries extra weight since Vest is generating grounders at a whopping 66.7% rate, so even a bit of bad batted-ball luck is having an impact.
On top of Vest’s absence, the Tigers also noted that Kenley Jansen is day-to-day due to a problem with his right groin/abdominal area. Jansen has been tagged for two runs in each of his last two outings, rocketing his ERA from 1.35 up to 6.14. The closer hasn’t pitched since Wednesday, and it may be that Detroit will have to put Jansen on the IL as well to keep the team from being too short-handed in the bullpen.
Kyle Finnegan looks to now be the Tigers’ top high-leverage arm almost by default, depending on how long Jansen is sidelined. Finnegan and Brant Hurter have both posted strong ERAs this season but with shaky secondary metrics, in an inverse of Vest’s situation. With the starting rotation also hit even harder by injuries, Vest is the ninth pitcher on Detroit’s IL.
Vanasco can at least cover some innings, as the righty has gone longer than an inning in six of his 10 Triple-A outings this season. The length is only one aspect of a video game-esque set of results in Toledo, as Vanasco has a spotless 0.00 ERA over 15 innings, a 6.8% walk rate, and a 47.5% strikeout rate (whiffing 28 of 59 batters faced).
Inducing strikeouts has never been an issue for Vanasco, but he has battled control problems during his eight minor league seasons. Injuries have also been a frequent obstacle over Vanasco’s career, and his MLB resume consists of only four games and three innings with the Dodgers and Tigers during the 2024 season.
Curet is still waiting for his first taste of the majors after spending his first five pro seasons in the Rays’ farm system and the 2026 campaign at Toledo. In between, the Phillies acquired Curet from the Rays in a trade back in December, and Detroit claimed Curet off waivers in mid-April. Curet has pitched in only one game for Triple-A Toledo, and he was charged with one earned run on three walks over two-thirds of an inning on Thursday.
Tigers Acquire Zack Short
The Tigers have acquired infielder Zack Short from the Nationals. The Nats get cash considerations or a player to be named later. Short was not on Washington’s 40-man roster and doesn’t need to be immediately added to Detroit’s. He has been assigned to Triple-A Toledo. Evan Woodbery of MLive Media Group first reported that the Tigers were getting Short for cash. Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic mentioned the PTBNL.
Short, 31 this month, signed a minor league deal with the Yankees in the offseason. It’s not especially common for players on minor league deals to get traded but it has happened to Short twice this year. He was flipped to the Nationals for cash in March and has now been traded again.
For the Nats, Short provided some non-roster depth at shortstop. They have CJ Abrams there but don’t have an amazing fallback plan, which is presumably why they added Short. Since then, they’ve been getting some decent results from Jorbit Vivas. He doesn’t have a ton of shortstop experience but is perhaps at least an emergency option there. Nasim Nuñez doesn’t hit much but is a strong defensive backup. Prospect Seaver King is crushing Double-A pitching at the moment and could be up in Triple-A soon. The odds of Short getting a call-up were perhaps not high.
But Detroit just lost Javier Báez to the injured list with a right ankle sprain. He and Kevin McGonigle had been sharing the shortstop position, with McGonigle also playing third base and Báez also spending some time in the outfield. The Báez injury leaves McGonigle all alone at short, since other shortstop options like Trey Sweeney and Zach McKinstry are also on the IL. This week, manager A.J. Hinch told Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press that the backup shortstop is Hao-Yu Lee, who hasn’t played the position since 2023.
Báez, Sweeney and McKinstry will eventually get healthy again but it’s an imperfect situation for the short term. Adding Short gives them a glove-first non-roster depth option to fall back on. In 594 big league plate appearances, Short has a meager .172/.271/.296 line but he has almost 800 innings of shortstop experience. Both Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average view him as a subpar shortstop for his career, but mostly due to struggles in his 2021 debut. Since then, he’s been roughly par. He also has experience at second base, third base and in the outfield.
Perhaps the Tigers will add Short and option Lee, which would improve their shortstop depth but would be a downgrade offensively. They could also just keep Short in Triple-A in case another injury pops up. If he’s added to the 40-man at any point, Short is out of options.
Photo courtesy of Rick Osentoski, Imagn Images
Tigers Hire Kyle Hendricks As Special Assistant
The Tigers have hired recently retired right-hander Kyle Hendricks as a special assistant to the baseball operations department, reports Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic. While Hendricks never pitched for Detroit during his excellent 12-year major league career, he knows both Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris and general manager Jeff Greenberg dating back to the pair’s days in the Cubs’ front office. Stavenhagen adds that Hendricks is expected to focus his efforts on pitching development.
Hendricks, 36, spent 11 seasons (2014-24) pitching with the Cubs and finished up his career with the Angels in 2025. He retired with a career 3.79 ERA, 105 wins and 1373 strikeouts through 1745 innings in the major leagues. All of that success came despite Hendricks lacking the prototypical power arsenal associated with modern pitchers. He never averaged even 91 mph on his four-seamer in a given season, finishing with an overall average velocity of 87.2 mph on his “fastball” in his career.
A throwback to generations past, Hendricks thrived thanks to excellent command, a good feel for pitching and a knack for avoiding hard contact. “The Professor” and his thoughtful approach to attacking hitters with less-than-premium stuff could well prove to be an asset in developing young arms in the Detroit pipeline.
There’s been a growing number of former big leaguers climbing to prominent positions in major league front offices in recent seasons. Former players who are currently running baseball operations for their clubs include Jerry Dipoto (Mariners), Chris Getz (White Sox), Craig Breslow (Red Sox), Buster Posey (Giants) and Chris Young (Rangers). Brandon Gomes isn’t the top decision-maker for the Dodgers but holds the general manager title and sits No. 2 on their baseball operations hierarchy behind president of baseball ops Andrew Friedman. The same is true of Marlins GM Gabe Kapler, who’s the No. 2 executive behind Peter Bendix over in Miami. Sam Fuld recently held a GM position with the Phillies but is in the process of moving over to become their new president of business operations.
Hendricks’ eventual aspirations on the executive side of things aren’t yet clear, but there are certainly some parallels between the path he’s charting and the ones taken by Young and Breslow in particular. Both Young (Princeton) and Breslow (Yale) are former Ivy League standouts who enjoyed successful big league careers while operating with middling velocity. Young got his start in baseball operations working in the league’s central offices, while Breslow jumped right into the Cubs’ baseball ops department with an emphasis on strategic initiatives and pitching development. Hendricks, a Dartmouth product, could pursue a similar trajectory, though given his lengthy career and reputation within the game, he’d also surely have opportunities on the coaching side of things if he preferred to throw his hat into that ring at some point down the line.
Tigers Place Casey Mize, Javier Báez On Injured List
The Tigers have placed righty-hander Casey Mize and utilityman Javier Báez on the injured list, per a club announcement. Mize heads to the 15-day IL due to a right adductor strain. Báez is going on the 10-day IL due to a sprained right ankle. Lefty Enmanuel De Jesus and infielder Jace Jung were recalled from Triple-A Toledo in a pair of corresponding moves.
The loss of Mize is a tough blow for the rotation. He’s out to the best start of his career, having pitched to a 2.90 earned run average with a 27.3% strikeout rate that would easily register as a career-high in a full season. He’s walked 8.6% of his opponents and kept 38.8% of batted balls against him on the ground. Mize’s prior career-highs in opponents’ chase rate and swinging-strike rate were 28.3% and 10.8%, respectively; he’s at 30.8% and 12.1% so far in 2026.
Mize exited his most recent start in the third inning. He pulled up with an apparent injury while attempting to field a bunt up the first base line. He wound up being charged with two earned runs that game — just the second time in six starts this season that he’s been charged with multiple earned runs in a start.
With Mize sidelined for at least two weeks and Justin Verlander also on the injured list, the Tigers’ rotation depth is being tested. Tarik Skubal and Framber Valdez remain a formidable one-two punch atop the staff. Keider Montero is also out to a career-best start. Veteran Jack Flaherty, conversely, is having one of the worst starts to a season in his career. Swingman Drew Anderson, who’s stretched out and has gone as long as 3 1/3 innings this season, is a candidate to step into the vacant spot in the rotation. Detroit could also turn to Triple-A, where righties Sawyer Gipson-Long and Ty Madden are possibilities.
Báez, meanwhile, had to be carted off the field in yesterday’s game after injuring himself on a slide. He underwent an MRI that revealed the sprain. A timetable for his return isn’t yet clear. He’s been getting frequent run in the infield and in center field, following the Parker Meadows injury, and is hitting .256/.280/.397 with a pair of homers in 82 plate appearances this year.
With Báez out of the equation for the short term at least, Detroit’s options in center field include Matt Vierling and Wenceel Perez. Young outfielder Max Clark, a former top-five pick and one of the ten top prospects in all of baseball at the moment, looms as an option in Triple-A. He’s slashing .303/.377/.444 with a homer, eight steals, an 11.4% walk rate and just a 13.2% strikeout rate in 116 trips to the plate. Clark isn’t on the 40-man roster but seems quite likely to make his big league debut at some point this season. It’s possible that Báez’s injury accelerates that timetable, although for now, center field will seemingly be entrusted to more experienced options.
2026-27 Club Options: AL Central
Last week, MLBTR began a division by division series looking at the club/mutual option decisions facing every team in the American League East. We’ll continue with a move to the AL Central. There aren’t a ton of notable decisions in this division, but the Tigers will have a couple — one involving their likely Hall of Fame closer.
Chicago White Sox
- Austin Hays, OF: $8MM mutual option ($1MM buyout)
Hays signed a $6MM free agent guarantee with the White Sox over the offseason. He’s making a $5MM salary and will collect a $1MM buyout on an $8MM mutual option for 2027. That’s an accounting measure designed to delay paying the final million until the end of the season. This is essentially a one-year deal.
The righty-swinging Hays has worked mostly in a platoon capacity over the past few seasons. He signed with Chicago largely because he felt they offered the best path to everyday playing time. Hays started slowly, striking out 12 times in his first nine games. He landed on the injured list with a strained right hamstring and missed three weeks.
The Sox activated him on Monday but have turned left field over to rookie Sam Antonacci in the interim. With Everson Pereira out to a nice start in the opposite corner, Hays is probably back in a fourth outfield role.
Cleveland Guardians
- Shawn Armstrong, RHP: $8MM mutual option ($1.5MM buyout)
Cleveland reunited with Armstrong on a one-year, $5.5MM contract in free agency. The veteran reliever is making $4MM this year and guaranteed a $1.5MM buyout on an $8MM mutual option.
The Guardians are likely to decline their end even if Armstrong pitches up to expectations. He’ll be entering his age-36 season and doesn’t have the power arsenal that usually pays in free agency. Armstrong’s fastball sits around 93 mph and he has never had huge swinging strike rates. He’s more of a command-oriented reliever, though he has walked seven batters over his first 10 2/3 frames this season.
Armstrong has had a tougher time getting hitters to expand the strike zone, leading to the uptick in free passes. He has given up five runs but has fanned 13 of 47 batters faced. He has three holds while working in mostly medium leverage situations. Armstrong landed on the injured list on Monday with a right groin strain.
- Emmanuel Clase, RHP: $10MM club option ($2MM buyout)
Clase is on unpaid non-administrative leave pending the investigation into an alleged game-fixing scheme. He’s not making his $6MM salary this year, nor does it seem likely he’ll collect the $2MM option buyout.
- Trevor Stephan, RHP: $7.25MM club option ($1.25MM buyout)
Stephan’s career has unfortunately gone off the rails since he underwent Tommy John surgery in March 2024. His velocity was down three miles per hour when he returned, and Triple-A hitters teed off for 22 runs in 17 innings last year. Cleveland dropped Stephan from their 40-man roster in August. He made four appearances this spring but was working with even lesser velocity than he had last summer, sitting at just 90.7 mph after throwing 95-96 early during his early-career days as a setup arm. The Guardians haven’t assigned him to a minor league affiliate. This is an easy buyout.
Detroit Tigers
- Drew Anderson: $10MM club option (no buyout)
Detroit brought Anderson back to the organization after a season and a half in Korea. The right-hander was second among KBO pitchers with 245 strikeouts a year ago, partially because he added a “kick-changeup” he hadn’t fully trusted during his last stint in affiliated ball. The Tigers guaranteed him $7MM with a $10MM club option.
The righty was initially expected to compete for a rotation spot. That changed after the Framber Valdez and Justin Verlander signings. Anderson began the season in long relief. It has been an erratic start, as he has allowed 11 runs through his first 15 innings. Anderson has recorded 17 strikeouts but has walked eight batters and surrendered three home runs. Detroit opted to give Keider Montero a rotation spot when Verlander went down with a hip injury.
There’s still a chance for Anderson to make some starts throughout the season. He’ll at least provide some swing-and-miss upside to a bullpen that lacks that element. It’s too early to have a definitive call on the option, but the early showing points toward it being declined.
- Kenley Jansen: $12MM club option ($2MM buyout)
Coming off a quietly excellent season with the Angels, Jansen signed for $11MM with Detroit. He’s making $9MM this season and has a $2MM buyout on a $12MM team option, making it a $10MM call for the front office. That’s a reasonable enough sum that the Tigers would probably exercise it with a typical Jansen year.
The four-time All-Star is 6-8 in save opportunities so far. Seven of his nine appearances have been scoreless. Detroit has taken the loss in the other two — both of which came on go-ahead home runs (to Jose Fernandez and Nathaniel Lowe, respectively). Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris pointed to the still strong swing-and-miss numbers on Jansen’s cutter at the time of the signing. He’s missing bats at the same rate as he did last year and has the second-highest strikeout rate (28.1%) in the Detroit bullpen. If the home runs turn out to a blip, this should get picked up.
Kansas City Royals
- Carlos Estévez, RHP: $13MM club option ($2MM buyout)
The first season of Estévez’s two-year, $22MM free agent deal with Kansas City was a success. He led MLB with 42 saves while matching his career low with a 2.45 ERA across 66 innings. Estévez’s personal-low 20.1% strikeout rate and 8.2% swinging strike mark were red flags, but he entered this spring with a clear hold on the closer role.
Estévez hasn’t looked the same in 2026. His velocity was way down both during Spring Training and in the World Baseball Classic. The Royals expressed some optimism that’d come with more adrenaline during regular season play. It didn’t happen during his debut, as the two-time All-Star’s fastball averaged just 91.2 mph after sitting around 96 a year ago. His slider and changeup also had precipitous drops. Estévez retired just one of seven batters in a meltdown loss to the Braves that culminated in a Dominic Smith walk-off grand slam.
After the game, the Royals placed Estévez on the injured list with a left foot contusion. He sustained that injury during the March 28 appearance against Atlanta, as he took a Michael Harris II comebacker off his foot. That doesn’t explain why the stuff was so poor during camp, though it has given the Royals a month and counting to hopefully get him right.
Coming into the year, the Royals probably anticipated exercising this option. That’s much tougher to see unless they find some kind of mechanical tweak that gets him back into the mid-90s.
Minnesota Twins
- Josh Bell, 1B: $10MM mutual option ($1.25MM buyout)
Minnesota signed Bell to a $7MM free agent guarantee over the winter. That includes a $1.25MM buyout on a $10MM mutual option. Bell’s first month in the Twin Cities has been a microcosm of his last few years. He came out on fire, hitting .317 with three home runs through his first 13 games. He’s hitting .180 with just one extra-base hit (a double) over his past 16 outings. The end result is a league average .235/.331/.373 line through his first 118 plate appearances. Each Bell season has big highs and very tough lows, though they all tend to conclude with slightly above-average offensive production overall.
Bell is a low-end regular at this stage of his career. The Twins — or a potential taker at the trade deadline — are likely to pass on their end of the option. If he does get traded, Minnesota might need to cover a portion of the buyout, as he’d otherwise cost an accruing team nearly $3MM for the final two months of the season.
- Justin Topa, RHP: $5MM mutual option ($250K buyout)
Topa and the Twins built a $5MM mutual option into his agreement to avoid arbitration last November. He has played on salaries just above $1MM throughout his arbitration window. Topa gets ground-balls but has the American League’s lowest swinging strike rate (3.8%) and has battled injuries throughout his career. The Twins are likely to pass on their end.
Joe Ryan’s arbitration deal includes a $13MM mutual option ($100K buyout) for 2027. He’d remain under club control if the option is declined and won’t hit free agency until the 2027-28 offseason.
Tigers Notes: Báez, Mize, Melton
Javier Báez is going for testing on a right ankle injury, manager A.J. Hinch told reporters following tonight’s 5-2 loss in Atlanta (relayed by Chris McCosky of The Detroit News). The team will provide an update in the coming days, though Báez said postgame that he’s been able to put some pressure on his leg (via Evan Petzold of The Detroit Free-Press).
Báez suffered the ugly looking injury in the fifth inning. He hit what appeared to be a routine ground-ball to shortstop. Mauricio Dubón’s throw was high, leading Matt Olson to jump and pull himself off the first base bag. Báez made an impromptu decision to slide and try to avoid the tag. He slipped as he hit the base with his left foot, and his right ankle appeared to buckle underneath him as he went to the ground.
The three-time All-Star tried to hobble off the field with assistance from trainers but ultimately needed the cart. An injured list stint seems inevitable. The Tigers will await the test results before they have an idea how long he’ll be sidelined.
Báez was in the lineup in center field tonight. Wenceel Pérez came off the bench to play right field, as Matt Vierling kicked over from right to center. Báez has bounced between shortstop and center field — in addition to a start at second base on Saturday when Gleyber Torres got a breather.
That defensive flexibility is Báez’s biggest on-field asset for Detroit. They’re already shorthanded in center field with Parker Meadows out for a while after breaking his arm earlier this month. Vierling and Pérez can play center field but are better suited for corner spots. Neither player has hit much in the early going either. Báez’s lack of plate discipline limits his own offensive upside, but his .256/.280/.397 line is better than what Vierling and Pérez have mustered.
The Tigers have a more obvious replacement at shortstop. Kevin McGonigle has divided his time between shortstop and third base. Detroit has preferred Báez at shortstop with McGonigle at the hot corner behind ground-ball specialist Framber Valdez, but the rookie can handle an everyday shortstop role. That’d open more playing time for Colt Keith and Hao-Yu Lee at third. A Báez injured list stint would leave them without a backup shortstop, though, as Zach McKinstry and Trey Sweeney are both out already.
Báez wasn’t the only Detroit player to make an early exit tonight. Starter Casey Mize left in the third inning with right groin tightness. Mize generally downplayed his concern postgame but said he’ll go for an MRI tomorrow. The All-Star righty has been excellent through the first six rotation turns. He struggled a bit tonight but carries an overall 2.90 earned run average while striking out 27.3% of opponents.
Detroit’s top three of Tarik Skubal, Valdez and Mize have all pitched well. Keider Montero has stepped up nicely with Justin Verlander sidelined by hip inflammation. It has been a nightmare start to the season for Jack Flaherty, though.
The Tigers signed Drew Anderson to compete for a rotation spot. His early work in a long relief role has been inconsistent. Sawyer Gipson-Long and Ty Madden are on the 40-man roster and starting games with Triple-A Toledo. Either could get a look if Mize requires an injured list stint.
Troy Melton would have been in the mix if he were healthy. The righty pitched well in a multi-inning relief role in the second half. He entered camp battling for a rotation spot but was sidelined in Spring Training with elbow inflammation. The Tigers moved him to the 60-day injured list, so he’s still at least a month off.
Petzold wrote this evening that the Tigers are building Melton back up as a starting pitcher. He has thrown a few live batting practice sessions and will need an extended minor league rehab assignment to get his pitch count up. The Tigers might’ve been able to build him more quickly as a reliever, but it’s more valuable to have Melton as a rotation option for the final four months of the season.
They could still keep him stretched out in long relief if there’s no starting spot available once he’s healthy. Detroit’s bullpen again lacks swing-and-miss upside. Melton didn’t miss a ton of bats as a rookie but has a power arsenal and posted huge strikeout numbers in the minors.