MLB February 9, 2026 0 Comments

Meet the Detroit Tigers’ Non-Roster Pitchers: The Hidden Gems Poised to Shake Up the Season

The Detroit Tigers are gearing up, with pitchers and catchers scheduled to report this Wednesday, and their first full-team session hitting the books on February 15. Right now, there’s a cluster of 15 pitchers set to join who aren’t on the 40-man roster anymore and have aged out of prospect status. This batch is a real blend—seasoned veterans mingling with ex-prospects who just couldn’t crack the big league code. The influx of free agents the Tigers brought in this off-season throws a steeper curveball at these guys trying to snag a roster spot by Opening Day. Still, you hold out hope that maybe a couple will surprise and carve out roles for themselves into the 2026 campaign.

Rewind to last year—lefties Dietrich Enns and Matt Gage made cameo appearances before they were DFA’d, later finding some footing elsewhere. Meanwhile, other once-promising arms like Wilmer Flores and Brendan White were sidelined by injuries, and the ever-persistent Wilkel Hernandez lingered in Triple-A all season without breaking through; he’s since moved on from the Tigers organization.

Frankly, this collection of pitchers tells a familiar story. Every so often, a diamond pops through the dirt, but mostly it’s a group nearing their last chance or veterans trying to claw back into relevance. The rotation feels sturdier than in previous years: gone are the days of banking on the flaky health of Alex Cobb or Tommy Kahnle, and the mysteries surrounding Kenta Maeda’s form. Instead, the roster boasts names like Framber Valdez, Kenley Jansen, Kyle Finnegan, and standout KBO arm Drew Anderson—those additions have raised expectations considerably.

Picture this: a starting five anchored by Tarik Skubal, Framber Valdez, Reese Olson, Jack Flaherty, and Casey Mize—arguably one of the stronger in baseball. Depth-wise, the team isn’t lacking either, with guys like Troy Melton, Anderson, Keider Montero, and Sawyer Gipson-Long backing them up. Even seasoned minor leaguer Troy Watson could provide relief if called upon. Plus, lefties Tyler Holton and Brant Hurter offer versatility, ready to slot in if needed. But—of course—there’s a whisper about Olson nursing shoulder trouble, which could thin things out unexpectedly.

Yet, peek beyond the forefront, and prospect depth is a bit of a desert. There really isn’t a standout waiting in the wings who looks poised to emerge as a reliable mid-rotation starter from upper minors. Jake Miller tops the list of advanced prospects, though he’s recovering from surgery after a tough 2025 plagued by injuries—he might not even pitch until late camp or April. LHP Andrew Sears and RHP Hamm are in the mix but are far from certain contributors this year.

Truth be told, it’s not an electrifying outlook compared to Jobe’s era. Pitchers can be wild cards, especially when injuries come into play, so perhaps a hidden gem will emerge, but betting on that feels like clutching at straws. The bullpen, a sore spot last year, might bounce back given the Tigers picked up talents like Will Vest, Kenley Jansen, and Kyle Finnegan, bolstered by Melton and Montero. Versatile lefties Holton and Hurter add valuable options to the mix.

As for the non-roster invitees? They don’t exactly inspire droves of optimism. If any tossed smoke and mirrors like 100 mph fastballs or mind-bending breaking pitches, they wouldn’t be fishing for minor league deals. Still, there’s some solid arms that could fill gaps if injuries strike.

If you’re asking who’s worth keeping on your radar this spring, I’d say watch Cole Waites, Dugan Darnell, Tyler Mattison, Tanner Rainey, Tyler Owens—and maybe Jack Little sneaks in there. They all carry intriguing, if not fully polished, tools that might just pay off if things align.

The Detroit Tigers will see pitchers and catchers reporting on Wednesday this week, with the first full squad workout set for Sunday, February 15. Currently, the club has 15 pitchers slated to participate who lack a 40-man roster spot and no longer have prospect eligibility. The group is a mix of veteran arms and former prospects, including several Tigers prospects who have just aged out of that status without breaking through at the big league level. The number of reinforcements the club has added in free agency this offseason will make it harder for any of these pitchers to break through and win a spot on the Opening Day roster, but hopefully one or two of them will stick around and contribute along the way in 2026.

Last year’s group included left-handers Dietrich Enns and Matt Gage, who both pitched briefly with the Tigers during the season before getting DFA’d and ultimately going on to decent success elsewhere. Others, like former prospects Wilmer Flores and Brendan White, got injured and left behind, while long-time starting prospect Wilkel Hernandez spent the year at the Triple-A level and never broke through and is no longer in the organization.

You get the drift. Occasionally there’s a real surprise, but most of these guys are former prospects whose expiration date is close, or pitchers who have had some success in the major leagues but are running out of time to get back.

The Tigers pitching staff certainly looks a lot more robust this time around. Instead of Alex Cobb, Tommy Kahnle, whatever Kenta Maeda had left, which proved to be very little, and small deals to RHP John Brebbia and LHP Andrew Chafin, this time around they’ve added Framber Valdez, Kenley Jansen, Kyle Finnegan, and one of the top returning KBO arms in free agent RHP Drew Anderson. Quite a difference.

A starting rotation of Tarik Skubal, Framber Valdez, Reese Olson, Jack Flaherty, and Casey Mize is one of the best in baseball. In terms of depth, they’ve got Troy Melton, Anderson, Keider Montero, and Sawyer Gipson-Long to lean on as needed. A veteran minor leaguer like Troy Watson might be able to pitch in, and the Tigers can of course flex left-handers Tyler Holton or Brant Hurter into a starting role in a pinch. That’s pretty good depth to start with, although rumors of Olson still dealing with shoulder trouble could thin that out somewhat.

On the other hand, things are a lot thinner in terms of actual prospect help. There really isn’t a guy who looks primed to break in as a bona fide starter with mid-rotation upside in the upper minors.

LHP Jake Miller is the most advanced of the bunch, but his own injury ridden 2025 season resulted in offseason surgery to repair both labrums in his hips. What started as back trouble and rumors of a shoulder strain last summer, was finally sourced to the hip issues. He’s still rehabbing and may not get back on the mound until the end of camp or in April. A really advanced strike thrower with a solid three pitch mix, we’ll have to wait and see how his recovery goes to forecast whether he’ll be much help this year.

Beyond him, it’s basically LHP Andrew Sears and RHP Hamm. Sears didn’t get an invite to camp but will no doubt pitch some on the major league side. He has strong swingman vibes and might help out a bit this season. Hamm isn’t on the 40-man roster yet either, but if he’s healthy and gets his velocity back, he could contribute at some point as well.

None of this is particularly encouraging compared to Jobe, but pitchers, especially young pitchers, tend to have wild swings from year to year particularly when there are injuries involved. Perhaps someone will finally get dialed in and surprise us. Just don’t count on it.

The Tigers really struggled to find bullpen support last year, but the first two seasons of Scott Harris’ tenure were better in that regard. So perhaps they’ll bounce back in this regard. Leading with Will Vest, Kenley Jansen, and Kyle Finnegan, with Troy Melton and Keider Montero potentially in the mix, with Holton and Hurter working as the flexible lefties, gives them a lot more to work with than they had last year.

The group of non-roster invitees is also, by definition, not inspiring either. If any of these guys threw 100 mph and had an incredible breaking ball, they wouldn’t be accepting minor league offers with camp invites. However, they do actually have some quality arms this year who could contribute out of the bullpen along the way in case of injuries. There just isn’t a whole lot of high potential stuff here beyond some former prospects who re-signed on minor league deals this offseason.

If you want my five names to watch, I’ll go with Cole Waites, Dugan Darnell, Tyler Mattison, Tanner Rainey, and Tyler Owens, and maybe you can add Jack Little to that list. Let’s just run through them quickly.

RHP Phil Bickford

This 30-year-old right hander had some success with the Dodgers a few years back but fell on hard times with injuries and shaky control undercutting his performance. He spent 2025 in Triple-A with the Cubs and the Phillies, showing flashes of his old strikeout touch but still hasn’t recaptured his previous mid-90’s velocity. Bickford gets good extension to the plate, and a solid slider, but unless he gets those extra ticks of gas back on the fourseamer and shows he can control it better, this is just a short-lived spring training project.

RHP Dugan Darnell

This 28-year-old out of Northville High School could be the local guy makes good story of spring camp. Darnell has a good splitter to go with a solid fastball-slider combo. He’s been in the Colorado Rockies system for years, so he’s getting a coaching upgrade in Detroit. His strikeout rates were really good in the minors, but his brief major league debut for the Rockies was a bit ugly and he was quickly laid low by a hip injury. You may notice a theme developing when I mention his above average extension. His fastball averaged 94 mph but he gets some ride on it and touched as high as 98.5 mph on one heater early last season. If the Tigers can tune the movement up and Dugan is healthy, there’s a little more in the tank there. Still, the splitter is the key pitch for him. The Tigers have some solid raw material in Darnell to work with.

RHP Scott Effross

32-year-old Scott Effross is this spring’s sidearmer de jeur. His fastball is just 89-90 mph, and he doesn’t have the lethal slider of the best of this type. Effross controls contact against right-handed hitters in particular, and he throws strikes. Still there isn’t a lot here to suggest he’s anymore than a Triple-A caliber reliever. He did pitch for the Yankees briefly in 2025, but only when they were really desperate for some help at the end of their bullpen.

LHP Sean Guenther

You’ll of course remember the 30-year-old Guenther from the bit of help he gave the Tigers bullpen in 2024. He’s still a low velo guy with a solid splitter who can induce weak contact from either side of the plate. There just isn’t anymore meat on the bone. In 2024 he briefly showed the best command of his career and reached the bigs but that precision fastball command didn’t last very long. He had some injury issues last year and never really got it going at all, but it wouldn’t be a shock to see him throw a few innings in a pinch for the Tigers this season.

LHP Enmanuel De Jesus

This 29-year-old lefty pitched in the KBO the past two seasons to decent success. He was originally a starter in the Boston Red Sox system, and had a cup of coffee with the Marlins in 2023 before heading overseas. With a 92-93 mph fourseamer and sinker, and an average slider-changeup combo, he’s a short-arm southpaw with some deception and feel for pitching, but nothing in his repertoire really stands out. His control improved a little in Korea with the KT Wiz, but he still profiles as a Triple-A lefty starter who might get a bit of work as a swingman or to spell a short injury to Hurter or Holton if someone like Andrew Sears or eventually Jake Miller isn’t ready.

RHP Jack Little

Little must have a little something the Tigers like, as they claimed him from the Pirates early in the offseason, then DFA’d him, and then re-signed him to a minor league deal. A minor Dodgers prospect for years, Little sits around 94 mph with a solid slider-splitter combination but has never been much of a strikeout artist. He does have pretty good command of his three pitch mix and manages to suppress home runs despite extreme fly ball rates. Other than some bursts of 96 mph velo last year, there isn’t really anything that stands out to me here other than that he has a splitter and shuts down right-handed hitters well. Unless the Tigers unlock something new with him, he just looks like a solid depth reliever who will make Triple-A Toledo manager Gabe Alvarez’s life a little easier.

RHP Tyler Mattison

Mattison is a former Tigers relief prospect who was returning from Tommy John in 2025 but didn’t get very far. Armed with a good riding overhand fourseamer, a wipeout breaking ball, and a pretty good changeup, Mattison has at times done a decent Trey Yesavage impression as a minor league reliever and collected tons of whiffs. As a result, he was regularly atop the list as the Tigers’ best relief prospect circa 2023-2024. Unfortunately he’s rarely been able to command everything consistently. His 2024 surgery was a success, and his velocity appears intact, but whether he can finally locate everything consistently is a wide open question.

RHP Tyler Owens

Owens is in a similar bucket with Mattison. The Tigers acquired him in the Carson Kelly trade back in July of 2024. The right-hander is another with a pretty high arm slot that produces a riding fourseamer in the 94-95 mph range, and has shown sustained bursts of 96-97 mph heat at his best. He gets whiffs up in the zone, but his slider is fairly average and doesn’t pair quite as well as you’d like with the fastball. Owens has worked on developing a splitter with the Tigers, and it really would suit his arm slot and fastball type really well if he can refine that pitch.

After briefly showing out in spring camp last year, it never came together for Owens during the season for any significant length of time. He then dealt with a hip injury in late July that ended his season, though he did get a brief cup of coffee with the Tigers along the way. If he’s healthy, the stuff is good enough to function as a depth reliever. He’s just never been able to repeat his delivery consistently enough to put the whole package together. Still, he only just turned 25, and he’ll get another crack at commanding everything more effectively this spring.

RHP Tanner Rainey

Rainey is a reasonably hard-throwing right-hander who had some solid seasons in the Washington Nationals in his mid-to-late 20’s, but has been in the wilderness for a few years now. He still sits 96 mph and will hit 98 with his fourseamer, but it’s his power slider that will keep getting him opportunities to revitalize his career a little longer. He’s never been able to limit the walks enough to really be effective for long, but the one silver lining is that he spent most of his career with the Nationals, one of the worst teams in baseball at developing pitchers. If the Tigers can get him on target more often he might be effective, but he’s 32 years old now and the odds are slim.

LHP Bryan Sammons

Here’s another somewhat familiar face. The 30-year-old lefty has been bouncing around the league for years as a decent depth starter you don’t mind having at the Triple-A level. He tossed 27 1/3 very mediocre innings for the Tigers in 2024. He’s just never been able to unlock that one upgrade to get more whiffs and make him viable as a long reliever-swingman type of lefty. He mixes his 91 mph fourseamer and his cutter well enough to get outs, and he throws strikes, but there just isn’t a good enough breaking ball or changeup here to make him a major league option except in a pinch.

RHP Matt Seelinger

Now 30 years old, Seelinger has always racked up a ton of whiffs with his cutter and knuckle curve combination. His 92-93 mph fourseamer is just too fringy to succeed at the major league level without really good command, and he’s always fallen a bit short in that regard. Seelinger gets a ton of fly balls and lots of weak contact in the air, and both secondary pitches will whiff Triple-A hitters are nearly 50 percent rates. So there’s some things to like here, but he’s just a bad fastball guy who hasn’t found a way around that issue to enough of a degree to let the cutter and knuckle curve play in the majors. Still, he’s hell on right-handed hitters, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him have some modest success in the Tigers bullpen by leaning into his two best pitches. As relief depth, he’s not a bad option to keep around.

RHP Burch Smith

This 35-year-old right hander had some success with the Oakland A’s back in 2020-2021, but has never quite been able to recapture it after years of injuries and ineffectiveness. He’s been all over, pitching in the NPB and KBO for a season apiece, and then putting up decent results for the Marlins and the Orioles in 2024. Smith features a riding 95 mph fourseamer that gets a lot of weak contact, but it’s not quite the type of high IVB monster that draws a ton of whiffs. He backs it mainly with a decent cutter-slider combination, but both are fringy pitches that really only work well when he’s commanding the whole package. He usually does keep the walk rates low, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he were called on in a pinch sometime this season if he sticks at Triple-A after spring camp. There just isn’t any upside beyond that.

RHP Ricky Vanasco

The Tigers can’t quite quit on Ricky Vanasco. Now 27 years old, Vanasco has spent parts of the last two seasons with the Toledo Mud Hens. He racks up a good volume of strikeouts, but is persistently wild as well. His fourseam fastball sits around 95 mph with above average extension and pretty good vertical movement. A power curveball at 83-84 mph draws a good amount of whiffs and is his main secondary pitch. If Vanasco could command the fastball consistently, he’s got enough stuff to function as a lower tier setup man, but he continues to be wild from time to time, and rarely is really locked in and locating the fastball that well.

RHP Cole Waites

Waites came up in the Giants system and is no doubt well known to Scott Harris as a result. The right-hander sat 96 mph with plus extension and could touch triple digits with a true double plus fourseamer in those days, backing it with a pretty average slider. He racked up great strikeout numbers moving through the Giants system, but his control started to fail him in 2023 and he eventually needed Tommy John surgery late in the year that cost him all of 2024 and much of 2025. He returned last season but was really just getting his feet wet after almost two full years on the shelf. The excellent IVB numbers say the heater will still draw plenty of whiffs, but we’ll have to see if he’s got the velocity all the way back this spring or not. Waites certainly qualifies as one of the highest ceilings in this group, and possibly Harris’ Giants ties will pay a little dividend here is he’s finally back to full strength.

RHP Troy Watson

The 28-year-old Watson has been in Toledo parts of the last two seasons and done a pretty nice job in a starting role. His cutter, slider, and changeup will all get some whiffs for him, and Watson throws strikes. He’s a classic problem fastball guy, where he has the velocity, sitting 94-95 mph with a little extra in the tank, but the fourseam shape just doesn’t have any particular standout traits. It’s not really bad, just mediocre. When he’s commanding it well, he can look really good, set hitters up consistently, and handle either-handed hitters. When he’s leaving too many over the middle of the plate, it gets whacked. Watson isn’t a bad option as an emergency starter, but unless they can tune up the fastball a little more he’s always going to be too vulnerable for regular MLB starting work. As a relief option, he could throw his secondaries more and be an effective middle reliever, but he has to command everything more consistently.