Tigers right-hander options Kidder Montero We head to Triple-A Toledo on Wednesday afternoon. This resulted in him being left off the Opening Day roster.
It’s somewhat surprising that Montero was demoted so early in camp. The 25-year-old made the MLB roster last season and added 5 1/3 innings without allowing an earned run in three playoff games. Detroit’s offseason additions Framber Valdez, Justin Verlander and Drew Anderson There was no chance for him to earn a spot in the season-opening rotation.
Rather than keep Montero in a swing role, they’d rather keep him in Triple-A. Montero is pitching for his native Venezuela national team in the World Baseball Classic (WBC). Coach AJ Hinch told reporters (including The Athletic’s Cody Stavenhagen) that Montero plans to make one or two appearances in the tournament. He will then continue to build workloads starting in Toledo.
Detroit has a front five. Tarik SkubalValdez, Verlander, jack flaherty and Casey Mize. Anderson has no choice but to make the MLB roster. He’ll start the season on a long relief note, assuming he’s injury-free for the rest of camp. If someone gets injured, he’ll probably move into the rotation.
Montero, who had a 4.37 ERA in 90 2/3 innings a year ago, ranked seventh on the rotation depth chart. Troy Melton There is a high possibility that he will start the season on the injured list. He has one year left on his minor league option. Assuming he spends at least 20 days in the minor leagues during the regular season, he won’t have an option to advance in 2027.
While Montero competed in the WBC, another Detroit player withdrew from the tournament due to injury. Chinese Taipei announces promising second and third base players Lee Ha-yu Tensioned left oblique (Reported by MLive’s Evan Woodbery) He was with the Chinese Taipei team in Tokyo for a billiards match, but will return to the Tigers’ spring complex for evaluation.
Lee, 23, spent all of last season with Toledo. He hit .243/.342/.406 with 14 home runs in 579 plate appearances. Seung-Yeop Lee, who was ranked No. 6 as a prospect by Baseball America last winter, was added to the 40-man roster in November.
Lee likely won’t be considered for the Opening Day roster, but the injury is a small blow to Detroit’s infield depth. Even less severe oblique strains typically take several weeks, meaning he’ll probably head to the minor league injured list to start the season. Meanwhile, Chinese Taipei lost 3-0 to Australia in their first WBC match tonight.
