2:55pm: The Tigers made these moves official and also announced that right-hander Alex Faedo was transferred to the 60-day IL. He landed on the 15-day IL on August 22 due to a right shoulder strain and the club announced that his season is over, per Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic on X. Detroit’s 40-man roster count drops to 39.
2:03pm: The Tigers have designated left-hander Joey Wentz for assignment, reports Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. He’ll be the corresponding roster move for right-hander Casey Mize, who is being reinstated from the 60-day injured list.
Wentz, 26, was the No. 40 overall pick by the Braves back in 2016. The southpaw quickly became one of the more prominent pitching prospects in what was then a stacked Braves farm system and made his way to the Tigers alongside outfielder Travis Demeritte in the trade that sent righty Shane Greene to Atlanta. Wentz made his big league debut with the 2022 Tigers and has pitched for Detroit in each of the past three seasons.
That 2022 cup of coffee proved to be a solid debut effort. Wentz started seven games, totaled 32 2/3 innings and posted a 3.03 earned run average along the way. His 20% strikeout rate and 9.6% walk rate didn’t necessarily stand out, but for a 24-year-old making his debut after just 12 appearances at the Triple-A level, it was an encouraging start all the same.
Unfortunately, that’s the most success Wentz has enjoyed in the majors to date. He appeared in 25 games with the 2023 Tigers — 19 of them starts — and was rocked for a 6.90 ERA with nearly identical strikeout and walk rates to that ’22 debut. Wentz became extremely homer-prone, however, surrendering an average of 2.13 round-trippers per nine innings pitched — the third-worst mark of any pitcher who totaled at least 100 innings last year.
Wentz’s 2024 season has been somewhat better but not enough to save his roster spot. In 55 1/3 innings, he’s pitched to a 5.37 ERA with a career-high 23.6% strikeout rate but also a career-worst 10.6% walk rate. He’s out of minor league options, so the Tigers couldn’t simply send him to Triple-A if they wanted to free up his roster spot. The DFA became a necessity in that regard, and Wentz will now be made available to all 29 other clubs via waivers.
If another club claims him, he’ll need to go right onto the big league roster, as he can’t be sent to the minors without clearing waivers. If he goes unclaimed, he lacks the service time and prior outright needed to reject a minor league assignment. As such, he’d stick with the Tigers as a depth option in Triple-A Toledo without occupying a 40-man roster spot.
I remember he was supposed to be a steal from the Braves when the Tigers got rid of Shane Greene. Hopefully the guy he’s replacing will make true of some of his promise. It feels like Mize probably only has 2 years left before he could be a free agent but he’s lost like 2 1/2 years due to injury.
Not like Shane Greene worked out in Atlanta. Feel like Wentz biggest problem is confidence. Was worth the look.
Weird timing. This DFA would have made more sense at the beginning of the season. He’s actually looked much improved over his last several games. He’s a lefty and still only 26 years old… I think there’s a 99.9% chance he’ll get claimed.
Yep, he’s a goner…..good for him. Now maybe he can get picked up by a team that knows the value of a lefty with good stuff.
Dumb statement. Tigers pitching staff is the entire reason they are over .500! The reason he’s out of the MLB is on him! He’s a head case & there’s nothing wrong with his arm. He’s inconsistent as hell & can’t seem to put it all together! If Fetter can’t fix him, he might not be fixable. Tiger pitchers fill the zone with strikes & he’s a nibbler. He doesn’t trust his stuff.
Culling time.
Joey is being sent from Wentz he came.
Weird he pitched yesterday, did well, got hit by 2 comebackers and limped off. Today he gets DFA’d, that’s big league baseball for you
The General Agreement says you can’t release an injured player. It’s curious/weird that wasn’t mentioned…..apparently Hinch avoided mentioning that to Pretzel.
Was at the game yesterday. He was 17 for 17 throwing strikes. He looked real good.
One game. His ERA is nearly 7
I’ll miss him
He is very handsome.just not good enough for the budding amazing tigers pitching next year
Yes, he’s got movie star looks. I see the Mets giving him a shot. New York. Bright lights. Big city. The two were made for each other.
Get a room you two
He can’t locate .. always the main problem with pitchers who aren’t successful
The other half of that trade with Atlanta, Travis Demeritte has been out of baseball for 2 years.
Joey looked like he had good stuff, and the walk rate wasn’t bad for a lefty. He’s young enough to still show improvement. Is he being cut because he’s one of Avila’s additions? I don’t see how not keeping him around until spring makes any sense. They could have just returned Emglert to the minors, or after getting hit on the knee, put Joey on the IL.
He’s being cut because he hasn’t pitched well again this year, nothing to do with being one of Avila’s guys.
Nothing to do with an “Avila” guy. 90% of the guys on the field are Avila guys!
No, he’s got a 5:30+ ERA and gave up 8 HR in 50 IP. It has nothing to do with Avila.
Pee Wee Harris must be living in terror that Al Avila will come out with the truth about why he got fired in Detroit….hint: Cheater Hnch wanted his chair and Pee Wee has probably figured out that’s still the case. He even hired Alex Avila as a broadcaster, who incidentally is very good at it….better than Peaches and the worm Benetti. Pee Wee is playing all of Avila’s guys except for Sweeny and after the blown the E-Rod trade and Boyd signing, can’t make blunders like that again. So in essence, Pee Wee is a leasing manager instead of a general manager and even hired the other squirt so he didn’t have to lug around the title he’s never earned.
Lol. The angry troll is back!
He’s in fine form today. His conspiracy theories are entertaining.
Yes, at one time baseball must have done him wrong. Lots of pent up anger and resentment coming out of that guy.
Actually, all the guys I know who once got paid to play baseball, in spite of having differences with how teams are run and managed, are respectful of the guys who made it past where they were.
Well, believe it or not….
It’s NOT exactly rocket science, you know…..
As much as jocks would like to pretend….rocket science is actually much more complicated……
So Hinch played MLB ball. You didn’t. You do the math on who we should listen to.
Well, I know enough to recognize an angry, bitter troll when I see one. Have good one, Six Hopper.
So you two are the same troll….everybody’s ex-wife…that’s you.
Ooh, how clever and original!
“Well they called the jerk store and they’re all out of you!”
-George Costanza
He cannot praise. It requires intelligence, character and respect. Anger and contempt are easy these days. Especially anonymously in this age of anti-social media.
As someone once said, envy is the only one of the seven deadly sins that gives the sinner no pleasure. Envy is the desire to see others diminished. That is he.
You’re projecting your own feeble weakness, child. You don’t fit in anywhere, have never done anything, and never will. I guess you forgot to mention all the guys “you know” who’ve been paid to play baseball…..would have been good for a laugh.
weak as a kitten which really ain’t fair to kittens. ^
You’re babbling. Go get a coffee. You’ve set a high standard and I expect much better insults from you 😉
On another note Tigers are 70-68 with 24 games to go. You have to admit the kids have looked good.
Yeah, REALLY hoping they can finish above .500 tis year.
Hope and change, baby…..LOL!
You started your weekend a bit early.
S0 Gary…may I call you Gary? I realize you can’t post worth a fig, have never tried to, are happy to be mundane and boring and show up here to show proof of life for some reason. Your little gang will up-thumb you not for anything you say or do but because I overwhelm them and they feel compelled to act out. Am I drunk? LOL! uh, no. Was a single point I made addressed by your wee trio of angry bees….uh, no.
You want to talk about the Pelfrey signing by Avila, or how many blown calls Big Al had or the crazy rant you just did. Pick one.
You’re doing all the mouthing off, champ….you pick one. Then look at the ’24 team and tell me who built it.
Don’t trade with Atlanta. This guy stinks. Seems like most players they trade away never work out except the catcher they sent to Oakland.
Wentz worked out better for Detroit than Greene did for Atlanta. Greene was one of the hottest closers in the league, got traded to Atlanta and immediately blew up his ERA.
No mention of what looked like a cracked shin bone? Evan Pretzel’s “sources not at liberty to blah blah blah” is Hinch… the dork is Hinch’s conduit to readers who believe anything the FP says. Early on I didn’t think Wentz had starter stamina and figured he’d end up in the pen where he could throw as hard as he could for an inning and stay in The Show. But Hinch kept starting him and he kept getting shelled second time through the lineup. Two wasted years and now they ditch him for Casey Mize? Why ask why?.
you are nuts.
Let’s compare names and guess who’s “nuts”.
It was the easiest choice to make.
Wentz could well turn out like Andrew Miller once he’s with a competent pitching coach instead of a college coach pretending to be one. Some might recall Miller was part of the ticking bomb the Tigers sent to the Fish for Cabrera, and the only one who later panned out as a reliever.. He’d be better off to get claimed before Fetter puts him in TJ surgery again.. Watch a team like the Dodgers or Red Sox pick him up and turn him around.
How is Fetter not competent? I’d like to hear your rationale for that. Jack Flaherty, Michael Lorenzen, the cutrent Tigers potching staff and most Tigers fans disagree.
Get a life. Ask Jack Flaherty how the pitching coach with the Tigers ruined his career.
Sorry resurrected more like. Have a clue before you comment. Easy to sit in Daddy’s basement and make comments though.
LOL! “get a life”….”daddy’s basement”….all internet hits from 20 years ago….still using W98, champ?
@senor smoke Does Aurelio Lopez know you are using his nickname from the ’84 team as your screen name here? Wentz had TJ surgery in March of 2020 and really hasn’t been the same pitcher since. Gardenhire was the manager then so Fetter was not the pitching coach during that season.
I am channeling Senor Smoke and yes, he knows….no really, he does. And it was only a matter of time before Fetter got him again.
I see.
What a stupid take. Miller went through 3 teams and 6 years before he figured things out. You keep talking about TJ surgery and Fetter without giving any evidence that the Tigers have a higher rate of pitchers requiring TJ than other teams. You blame it on them being told to throw harder when everything we know about the improvements this staff has made (which you ignore) says otherwise. Who hurt you as a child, that led to all this ill-informed anger?
I can’t see a contender claiming him since he is out of options. Maybe a team going nowhere ( White Sox, Marlins, Blue Jays) give him a chance. If he clears he can’t refuse an assignment so he will be taking his talents to Toledo. ( Home of Jamie Farr)
It’s a pity that Wentz couldn’t continue to prevent runs after his first MLB season. He came as a talented prospect and pitched very well in the minor leagues. But the surprising emergence of several pitchers who were called up from AAA made Wentz expendable.
Gruß,
BSHH
Hallelujah
He came, he saw, he wentz
a 26 year old lefthander former 1st round pick
29 teams would take a flyer on this.
I watched the game Friday and he looked awesome. 17 pitches, 17 strikes. The only hit he gave up was the ball that beaned his hand. It makes me wonder if he already knew that he was going to be DFAed and was pitching without any pressure. UnFettered if you like.
Ugh. Wish the Tigers would DFA Jason Benetti. He’d be fine if he would just stick to calling the game. But his constant need to “josh” with his broadcast partner distracts from the game and is usually cringe-inducing.
At least he doesn’t always talk about something making him cry like the last guy.
Mario was the best play by play man since Ernie…but they had to fire him for letting Rod Allen try to strangle him.
Tigers are 70-68 with 24 games to go. They are within striking distance of Minnesota and KC but the odds are low they catch them. Skubal is pitching for the Cy Young and Triple Crown. They have young players all over the field providving a glimpse of a bright future. They have a core of hitters established for next year and some interesting young starters in Montero and Hurter who should be ready to contribute next year. Things are looking up for 2025!
Next year they need a big bat. Soto is unlikely but perhaps Santander? Could they trade for Tucker from Houston? I don’t think they will do it since OF is not a weakness. Maybe Alonso, Hoskins or C. Walker for 1B? Tork has looked better since returning so maybe someone like Hoskins to share time/fill in at multiple spots like Canha did this year. Should they go after Bregman for 3B? It seems he is going to want a lot but he certainly is a middle of the order bat. Has Jung showed enough to be the guy at 3B? They definitely need another backend bullpen piece and some lefty depth with Chafin and Wentz gone now. Maybe they graduate some arms from the farm, find another diamond in the rough like Holton or go grab a pitcher having a down year like Doval, Bednar or Alexis Diaz. Their SPs are not deep enough. A #2 starter would be nice to replace Flaherty…perhaps Verlander, Buehler or just go get Flaherty! Lots of trade possibilities too.
Things are looking up.
The young Tigers recent success dovetails with the players, not the “hitting committee” deciding to flatten out their swing-paths. It began with Vierling who got close to being traded before he realized the 25d launch-angle produces an occasional HR or double, but mostly pop-ups and toppers to the INFder. So he changed to maybe a 10d angle and immediately started hitting gappers and backspin line drives into the lower decks. Meadows followed saying he was done with the “up hill” swing and his results speak for themselves. Keith has been short and quick, Tork is still too 5 iron but much better and like Gibby pointed out, chopped the loop out of his back elbow path and is now having no trouble with big velo. Hinch’s “let the ball get deep for more flyballs” is roundly ignored since the Shift is gone, yet Hinch remains, his supposed “genius” laying in the theory lefties hit righties better than righties hit righties. Baseball has known this since the early 1900’s but apparently nobody dares tell HInch this for fear of ending up in Toledo or worse. The last holdout for the golf swing is Riley Green, one of the most hideously exaggerated swings I’ve ever seen.. With Riley’s reflexes and depth-perception he should be a .320 hitter but hangs at .260 for fear of hitting a ground ball. Of course Hinch claims Riley has the “perfect swing”, same as the rest of Hinch’s victims who can no longer hit a baseball well enough to play MLB. Thanks to Al Avila’s drafting the current team is fun to watch and has a future with the right guidance. The current road trip out here in the west should show whether a change in the field management is required for the team to mature and start vying for division titles. I obviously believe a change is desperately needed for the many reasons I’ve pointed out here. I don’t see the need for any position FAs, dance with who ya brought, no more reclamation piece starters. Home grown is the way to go.
Finally something we agree on. I do not know how Green gets away with that. I can’t think of any above average hitter in MLB who swings like that. Also agree that Meadows and Vierling need to continue to hit line drives. Tork? I’m still not a believer that he’s figured it out. Watches way too many strikes go by. I don’t like K’s. I especially don’t like K’s looking.