Left-hander Chasen Shreve and right-hander Trey Wingenter have made the Tigers’ Opening Day roster, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports (Twitter link). Both were in camp as non-roster invitees, so the Tigers will need to make a pair of corresponding 40-man roster moves.
Shreve, 32, is the more experienced of the pair, having accrued almost six years of service time across parts of nine seasons at the MLB level. He punched his ticket to the Opening Day club when he held opponents to a pair of runs on five hits and three walks with ten punchouts through eight innings this spring.
The Tigers will be Shreve’s sixth club, as he’s previously logged time with the Mets, Yankees, Cardinals, Pirates and Braves. Overall, he has a 3.87 ERA, 25.6% strikeout rate, 11.1% walk rate, 41% ground-ball rate and 1.56 HR/9 mark in 311 1/3 big league innings. Shreve spent the 2022 season with the Mets — his second stint there — but was tagged for a 6.49 ERA in 26 1/3 innings. His strikeout rate remained consistent with career levels and he actually improved on his walk rate, but ’22 was one of the most homer-prone seasons of Shreve’s career (2.05 HR/9).
At his best, Shreve misses bats at an above-average level and lacks the platoon splits one might typically expect of a lefty reliever. Opponents have nearly identical career batting lines against him, regardless of handedness. Righties have slashed .226/.317/.423 to left-handed batters’ .231/.320/.420.
Turning to the 28-year-old Wingenter, this will be the towering 6’7″ right-hander’s first MLB work since 2019. The former Padres reliever missed the 2020-21 seasons following Tommy John surgery in July of 2020. He was non-tendered by San Diego and signed a minor league deal with Cincinnati, but he was out for all of the 2022 season due to continued elbow troubles.
This offseason, Wingenter pitched 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball with the Dominican Winter League’s Leones del Escogido and showed enough to pique the Tigers’ interest there. He was sensational during spring training, tossing seven shutout innings and holding opponents to four hits with an 11-to-1 K/BB ratio. Wingenter averaged just shy of 97 mph on his heater prior to surgery and has punched out 33.1% of his opponents at the MLB level. Walks have been an issue (13.3%), and his overall 5.14 ERA in 70 innings with San Diego doesn’t stand out much, but there’s plenty to like between his huge frame, impressive velocity and ability to miss bats.
Wingenter has spent enough time on the Major League injured list that he’s accrued three years of MLB service time. If he’s able to stick on the Tigers’ roster and remain healthy, he’d be controllable through the 2025 season via arbitration.
I’m glad wingenter kept fighting to get back to the majors. I hope he’s a shining light for the tigers this year and turns out to be a valuable bullpen arm.
Wow! (I’m actually not one of those guys, I just figured it’d be fun to join in lol)
Oh my. You missed the mark by a mere 3 minutes. Tough L to take, as we all know.
But you were in the game, and as a competitor you must be at least somewhat mollified by that consolation. So, take heart from it, dig down deep, and don’t give up because actually you ARE “one of those guys”.
Don’t be in it if you’re not out to win it. You have it in you. Don’t hold back. Go for it!
Both guys pitched well in spring training but I’m excited most for Wingenter. He’s shown his stuffs pretty electric when healthy.
I like both these guys…and Mason Englert, the Rule 5 guy. Watch Englert. His pitches remind me of trying to hit a whiffle ball. I think the Tiger’s BP will be their biggest asset.
The problems are going to be the same as they’ve been for years….scoring runs. In addition, their starting rotation does not jump off the page.
If the bullpen performs at an average rate, I will be quite happy. Lange has been consistently good, but the others are either question marks (Englert, Shreve and Wingenter) or struggled throughout spring training (like Cisnero, Alexander and Hill).
Actually, I am much more optimistic about the rotation: Rodriguez was good in spring training, Turnbull and Boyd were solid, Manning plus Wentz at least improved, and Skubal plus Lorenzen should at least provide decent depth at some time. The Tigers have additional pitching talent at hand.
During spring training, several hitters have been better than I expected. So let’s hope your assessment of the bullpen will be correct (but the rest turns out as too pessimistic)…
Gruß,
BSHH
I’m afraid that Lorenzen is going to be another Matt Moore. Couldn’t make it 1/2 through ST without getting hurt. If he makes 10-12 starts for our Tigers I’ll be pleasantly surprised.
I doubt Skubal will pitch this year. By the time he’s ready the Tigers will be out of the AL Central race. Why throw him in there to finish in 4th-5th place,
Hill and Breiske did not look that good this Spring. They were OK, not great, last year. I’d be wary.
I agree that Boyd has looked solid. He’s my pre-season pick for Comeback POY in AL.
I’m looking forward to seeing Flores in Detroit this year. Ty Madden might make the leap too…as might Reese Olson.
I’m not overwhelmed with Tiger rotation depth.
Skubal should be back by July.
I’ll also predict that Rodriguez, Boyd, Turnbull, Manning, Lorenzon and Skubal will combine for about 750 innings in 2023.
And depth shouldn’t be a huge problem. Wentz, Brieske, Faedo and Hill could each take a spot in the rotation as necessary. Flores, Olson, Bergner and/or Madden later in the season. Not all of these guys will be successful in a big way, but between them, they should provide the tigers with some decent options.
You’re more optimistic than I am. I’m rooting for you to be right.
@warnbeeb:
Obviously you are the optimistic one among us. I think the Tigers are firmly out of the AL Central race before Rodriguez throws his first pitch…
Gruß,
BSHH
Thanks for signing your letter so we know now who wrote it.
Thanks for signing your letter so we know who wrote it.
Who gets cut? Most of the Tiger pitchers were batting practice for the opposition. If they haven’t been sent down already, Beau Brieske and Matt Wisler were lousy.
I think Hill or Brieske gets the final bullpen spot (both of them have struggled mightily this spring).
Brieske they want starting so AAA he goes
By all accounts, they wanted Brieske and/or Hill as middle relievers who could pitch 80-100 innings each this year. But they’ve both been struggling this spring.
Wingenter is going to be a keeper. We needed another kefty and Shreven has looked good
Yeah, those two were no-brainers.
Really want Wingenter to be the guy. SD fans really liked him before TJ got him. He looks good on the mound. Please stay healthy.
Brieske is going on the IL with a sore arm, Hill got the final bullpen spot.
Good to see Shreve get a major league opp.
Chasen Shreve should not be playing organized sports
Why’s that?