The Tigers announced Tuesday that they have optioned to sign the left-hander. Enmanuel de Jesus. the right wing Troy Meltonwhose performance in camp was slowed by elbow inflammation, was placed on the 60-day injured list and earned a spot on the 40-man roster. Efraín Zavarce of IVC and 107.3 La Mega first reported that De Jesus would be added to the 40-man roster. El Extra Base’s Daniel Alvarez Montes reports that De Jesus was in talks with a team in Asia, so it appears the Tigers had to choose between adding him to the 40-man roster or signing him in the NPB, KBO or CPBL. Jason Beck of MLB.com said there were no setbacks for Melton, but added that his expected debut had already been pushed back to May at this point.
Adding De Jesus to the 40-man roster does not guarantee that he will join the major league club on Opening Day. The 29-year-old has limited major league experience and has about three years left on his minor league option. But now that he’s a 40-man player, he’s a clear candidate to be one of the team’s first weapons to break camp or get recalled to the major leagues if an injury occurs.
De Jesus, who pitched briefly for the Marlins in 2023, earned a spot on Team Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic after pitching 6 1/3 scoreless innings this spring and holding opponents to four hits and seven strikeouts. He has started one game so far in the Classic, holding Israel to one run on a hit and no walks with eight punchouts over five innings.
The schedule in Asia would not have come as a surprise to De Jesus. He played in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) Kiwoom Heroes rotation for the past two seasons, recording an ERA of 3.81 in 343 innings. He fanned 23.8% of his opponents’ walks compared to a 6.1% walk rate. Detroit brought him in on a minor league contract and a non-roster invitation this winter, but it’s common for such deals to have a foreign interest clause that allows a player to request his release if an Asian club comes along with a guaranteed offer. De Jesus likely had that clause in place this time around, but his strong spring performance with both the Tigers and WBC led his current MLB organization to keep him around.
De Jesus could start the season as a swing option on the big league roster. Drew Anderson You can have your first dibs on that role. Like De Jesus, he is returning to the major leagues after a strong performance in the KBO. Although Anderson’s dominance with the SSG Landers was enough to earn him $7 million guaranteed in a major league contract. There is no room for Anderson or De Jesus in Detroit’s rotation. Tarik Skubal, Framber Valdez, jack flaherty, Casey Mize and coming back Justin Verlander.
starter jackson jobe (Tommy John surgery in June last year), Liz Olsen (shoulder surgery last month) and Melton both open the season on the 60-day IL. In addition to Melton’s potential return at the end of May, Jobe could return later in the season. Recently selected Kidder Montero He was still the top option on the 40-man roster. Sawyer Gibson-Long and Ty Madden In that respect. De Jesus provides more coverage and a possible left-handed arm for the bullpen. Tyler Horton, Brant Herter and Drew Somers There are other options for the club on the 40-man roster as well.
