Tigers Designate Connor Seabold For Assignment, Activate Troy Melton
The Tigers announced that right-hander Connor Seabold has been designated for assignment. The move opens up space on both the 26-man and 40-man rosters for the return of righty Troy Melton, who has been activated from the 60-day injured list to start Game 2 of today’s doubleheader against the Orioles. Prior to Game 1, Detroit also placed left-hander Brant Hurter on the 15-day IL (retroactive to May 23) due to lumbar spine inflammation, and right-hander Ricky Vanasco was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move.
Seabold signed a split deal with the Tigers just before the start of the season, and soon after the righty was released from a previous minor league contract with the Blue Jays. While Seabold broke camp with his new club, a big chunk of his time in Motown has been spent on the injured list, as he missed a little under three weeks recovering from ankle inflammation.
When healthy, Seabold has been pretty effective coming out of the pen, with a 3.45 ERA, 20.3% strikeout rate, and 7.2% walk rate over 15 2/3 innings. While other Tigers relievers have minor league options and Seabold doesn’t, he may have just been the victim of a roster crunch, as a 40-man spot was needed for Melton’s return.
Detroit now faces the possibility that Seabold is claimed away on waivers, or elects free agency if he clears waivers and is then outrighted (Seabold has been outrighted in the past, giving him the ability to decline future outright assignments). Seabold has a 7.28 ERA across his 134 2/3 career innings in the Show, but teams in need of immediate relief help may be swayed by his recent performance, or a slight uptick in velocity to 93.5mph from his previous 92.5mph career average.
After developing elbow inflammation during Spring Training, Melton is finally set to make his 2026 debut. The Tigers initially planned to use Melton as a reliever or swingman this season, but due to multiple injuries within the rotation, Melton will now step right into starting duty. The righty made his MLB debut in 2025 and posted a 2.76 ERA, 20K%, and 8.3BB% over his first 45 2/3 innings as a big leaguer, starting four of his 16 regular-season games.
Just as one pitcher gets healthy, however, Detroit’s seemingly nonstop parade of pitching injuries continues with Hurter’s IL placement. Hurter has a 2.84 ERA over 25 1/3 relief innings this season, despite very modest strikeout (17.8%) and walk (11.9%) rates. The groundball specialist is generating grounders at a 60.3% clip, and Hurter is getting a lot of benefit from a tiny .203 BABIP.
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.
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.
Tigers Select Enmanuel De Jesus, Place Troy Melton On 60-Day IL
The Tigers announced Tuesday that they’ve selected the contract of left-hander Enmanuel De Jesus. Righty Troy Melton, who’s been slowed in camp due to elbow inflammation, was placed on the 60-day injured list to open a spot on the 40-man roster. Efraín Zavarce of IVC and 107.3 La Mega first reported De Jesus would be added to the 40-man roster. Daniel Alvarez Montes of El Extra Base reports that De Jesus had been in talks with a team in Asia, so it seems the Tigers had to choose between adding him to the 40-man roster and cutting him loose to sign in NPB, the KBO or the CPBL. Jason Beck of MLB.com adds that there’s been no setback with Melton, but his expected debut had been pushed into May already by this point.
Adding De Jesus to the 40-man roster doesn’t guarantee that he’ll make the major league club on Opening Day. The 29-year-old has only limited major league experience and thus has a full slate of three minor league option years remaining. Now that he’s on the 40-man, however, he’s a clear candidate to break camp with the team or be among the first arms summoned to the majors in the event of an injury.
De Jesus, who pitched briefly with the 2023 Marlins, tossed 6 1/3 shutout innings this spring and held opponents to four hits and a walk with seven strikeouts before joining Venezuela’s team in the World Baseball Classic. He’s started one game in the Classic so far, holding Israel to one run on a pair of hits and no walks with eight punchouts through five terrific innings.
A stint in Asia wouldn’t have been surprising for De Jesus. He’s spent the past two seasons in the Kiwoom Heroes’ rotation in the Korea Baseball Organization, working to a combined 3.81 ERA in 343 innings. He’s fanned 23.8% of his opponents there against a 6.1% walk rate. Detroit scooped him up on a minor league deal and non-roster invite this winter, but it’s common for such deals to have foreign interest clauses that permit the player to ask for his release if an Asian club comes calling with a guaranteed offer. De Jesus seems to have had such a clause this time around, but his strong spring performance both with the Tigers and in the WBC has prompted his current MLB organization to keep him around.
De Jesus could open the season as a swing option on the big league roster, although righty Drew Anderson may have first dibs on that role. Like De Jesus, he’s returning to the majors after a strong run in the KBO — although Anderson’s dominance with the SSG Landers was enough to land him a $7MM guarantee on a major league contract. There’s no room for either Anderson or De Jesus in a Detroit rotation that will feature Tarik Skubal, Framber Valdez, Jack Flaherty, Casey Mize and a returning Justin Verlander.
Starters Jackson Jobe (Tommy John surgery last June), Reese Olson (shoulder surgery last month) and Melton are all opening the season on the 60-day IL. In addition to a potential Melton return in late May, Jobe could be back in the season’s second half. Recently optioned Keider Montero had been the top depth option still on the 40-man roster, joining Sawyer Gipson-Long and Ty Madden in that regard. De Jesus provides some more cover and a possible southpaw arm for the bullpen, where Tyler Holton, Brant Hurter and Drew Sommers are the club’s other options on the 40-man roster.
Tigers’ Troy Melton Delayed By Elbow Inflammation
TODAY: Melton told the Detroit News’ Chris McCosky and other reporters that he is “not too concerned about anything long-term” with his elbow issue. “We’ll know more for sure in a couple of days or a week. But I’m pretty positive for the time being,” Melton said.
FEBRUARY 27: Tigers right-hander Troy Melton has halted his throwing program due to elbow inflammation, the team announced. Manager A.J. Hinch told reporters (including Evan Woodbery of MLive) that the second-year pitcher is unlikely to be ready for Opening Day.
Melton pitched well as a rookie. Promoted shortly after the All-Star Break, he logged 45 2/3 innings. He started four of his 16 appearances and pitched to a 2.76 earned run average. Melton fanned 20% of batters faced against a league average 8.3% walk rate. He performed well enough to earn a spot on Detroit’s playoff roster, though he surrendered five runs across 8 1/3 frames.
Although Melton worked mostly out of the bullpen in his first season, he projects as a long-term starter. Melton posted a sub-3.00 ERA across 18 appearances (16 starts) in Triple-A before his promotion. He may have been in the mix for a rotation spot this spring if not for the late free agent signings of Framber Valdez and Justin Verlander.
Valdez and Verlander slot behind Tarik Skubal in Hinch’s starting five. Casey Mize and Jack Flaherty will round out the group if everyone gets through camp healthy. KBO signee Drew Anderson can work in long relief or as a spot starter; he’d presumably draw into the rotation if anyone from the starting five is injured. That would have left the Tigers to decide whether to carry Melton as multi-inning leverage reliever or have him stay stretched out in the Triple-A rotation.
There’s no indication he’s facing a long-term absence. The team will be cautious with any elbow concern for one of their more talented young pitchers, of course, but it doesn’t seem out of the question he could be back after a fairly minimal injured list stay to begin the year.
AL Central Notes: Hunter, Willis, Melton
Torii Hunter spoke with Twins president Derek Falvey last week, but the longtime Minnesota outfielder specified to Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press that it was just an informal chat, and not an interview in regards to the team’s open managerial position. However, Hunter said he already has a coaching staff mostly lined up if he ever gets a chance to become a manager, and he seems open to the possibility of a return to Minnesota.
“I guess they’re slow-rolling the process right now; I’m just sitting waiting. If the opportunity presents itself, then it would be something I would look into, think long and hard about…..Now it’s about a conversation to see where they’re headed, what their thoughts are, and then I’m pretty sure they’re going to see what I want to do with the team, who I’m going to bring aboard, my staff,” Hunter said.
Hunter already surfaced as a candidate in the Angels’ managerial search before the team hired Kurt Suzuki — like Hunter, a veteran ex-player with no formal managerial/coaching experience who had been working as a special assistant in the Halos’ front office. Despite Hunter’s interest, it isn’t clear if the Twins are still considering him or any other candidates, as the team has reportedly settled on at least four finalists (Ryan Flaherty, James Rowson, Scott Servais, and Derek Shelton) in their search.
More from around the AL Central….
- Carl Willis will be back as the Guardians‘ pitching coach next season, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. It will be Willis’ 16th overall season in the job, over two separate stints (2003-09, and 2018-present) in Cleveland. The widely-respected Willis is viewed as one of the key reasons the Guards have been so good at developing their pitchers into successful or even elite starters at the MLB level. There had been some speculation that Willis could be considering retirement as he approaches his 65th birthday in December, but he’ll instead continue a baseball career that has lasted for over four decades as a player and coach.
- Troy Melton was “a popular name in trade talks” for rival teams calling the Tigers prior to his big league debut in July, MLB.com’s Jason Beck writes. Rather than deal Melton for a more proven pitcher at the deadline, Detroit instead relied on Melton himself to deliver, and the rookie posted a 2.76 ERA over 45 2/3 innings in the regular season and then a 5.40 ERA in 8 1/3 playoff frames. Typical of Detroit’s “pitching chaos” strategy, Melton (a starter in the minors) worked out of the bullpen in 15 of his 20 overall games in the Show. Now lined up for a full-time starting role in 2026, Melton would seem to have a good shot at winning a spot in the Tigers’ rotation.
Tigers Designate Brewer Hicklen For Assignment
The Tigers announced Wednesday that they’ve designated outfielder Brewer Hicklen for assignment. His spot on the 40-man roster will go to right-handed pitching prospect Troy Melton, whose contract has been selected from Triple-A Toledo (as was previously reported). In order to open a 26-man roster spot for Melton, ace Tarik Skubal was placed on the paternity list. Skubal can be absent for up to 72 hours.
Detroit picked up Hicklen in a March 28 trade sending cash back to the Brewers. He’s appeared in just one game for the Tigers in 2025, going 2-for-3 with a walk in that lone appearance. The bulk of Hicklen’s season has come in Triple-A, where he’s carrying a .227/.335/.394 batting line (99 wRC+) with eight home runs and 14 stolen bases. He’s walked at a strong 11.4% clip but also fanned in more than 30% of his plate appearances.
The 29-year-old Hicklen has just 13 major league plate appearances under his belt. The two hits he collected with Tigers were the first of his major league career. Hicklen has played in parts of four Triple-A seasons and has a .242/.351/.466 slash through 1598 plate appearances. He’s played all three outfield spots in his career and has good speed to go along with a solid track record in Triple-A (contact issues notwithstanding). He’s in the second of three minor league option years.
The Tigers will trade Hicklen or place him on waivers within the next five days. If he’s placed on waivers, that’ll be another 48-hour process. His DFA will be resolved within a week’s time. He hasn’t been outrighted to this point in his career and doesn’t have three years of big league service, so if he clears waivers Hicklen will stick with the Tigers as a depth option who’s no longer on the 40-man roster.
Tigers To Promote Troy Melton
The Tigers are going to promote pitching prospect Troy Melton, reports Jason Beck of MLB.com. Melton will start for the club on Wednesday, making his major league debut. The club will need to open a spot for him on both the 40-man and active rosters.
Melton, now 24, was the Tigers’ fourth-round pick in 2022. Since then, he has climbed the minor league ladder, putting up strong numbers along the way. Overall, he has thrown 273 minor league innings over 66 games. 63 of those were officially starts, with the other three technically being long relief outings. In that time, he has allowed 3.63 earned runs per nine with a 28.1% strikeout rate and 6.5% walk rate.
That includes his 75 1/3 innings this year, split between Double-A and Triple-A. He has a combined 2.99 ERA on the season. His 6.4% walk rate is still good and he has nudged his strikeout rate up to 32.4%.
Coming into 2025, many evaluators put Melton in the middle of the Tigers’ top 30 lists but Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs was especially bullish. He gave Melton the #80 spot on his preseason top 100 list. Longenhagen notes that Melton sits in the upper 90s with his fastball with a slider and “splinker-style” changeup.
It’s unclear if Melton will be getting a rotation gig for a while or if this is just a spot start. The Tigers are three games into a stretch of playing 13 straight right after their pitchers where thrown off their normal routines by the All-Star break, so perhaps this is just to give everyone else a breather. Since this is his first major league call, he has a full slate of options and could be sent back down to the minors after his debut.
As of now, the Tigers have a rotation consisting of Tarik Skubal, Jack Flaherty, Reese Olson, Casey Mize and Keider Montero. The first four aren’t going anywhere but Montero’s not cemented in there. He’s been optioned to the minors and moved to the bullpen at times this year, so that could perhaps happen again if the Tigers want Melton to get more than just a spot start.
Photo courtesy of Junfu Han, Imagn Images.