Detroit – When the dust settled Tuesday, two vital members of the Tigers’ original pitching-chaos bullpen were no longer on the 40-man roster.
Right-hander Jason Foley and lefty Sean Guenther, whose work down the stretch in 2024 helped the Tigers finish 33-13 and roar into the postseason, were both designated for assignment.
Foley, a workhorse who pitched 199 games between 2022 and 2024 and led the team with 28 saves in 2024, did not make the opening-day roster last season and missed nearly the entire year with a shoulder injury that ultimately required an arthroscopic procedure.
Guenther pitched in just nine games last year before getting shut down with a hip injury. He allowed just two earned runs in 21 innings down the stretch in 2024.
Both Foley and Guenther have returned to their offseason throwing programs and could be ready to compete in the spring.
Also designated for assignment were pitchers Tanner Rainey, Tyler Mattison and two pitchers who were claimed off waivers last week – Northville product Dugan Darnell and Jack Little.
Those players could sign back with the club on minor-league deals.
The moves were made to clear space on the 40-man roster for All-Star second baseman Gleyber Torres (he accepted the Tigers’ $22 million qualifying offer) and five prospect, who were added to protect them from the Rule 5 draft.
Those five prospects were:
▶ Catcher Thayron Liranzo. Acquired from the Dodgers in the Jack Flaherty trade two years ago, he’s the club’s No. 5-ranked prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. The switch-hitter, entering his age-22 season, struggled last season at Double-A Erie last season, both at the plate (.206/.308/.351 with 125 strikeouts in 88 games) and behind the plate.
▶ Infielder Hao-Yu Lee. The Tigers’ No. 6-ranked prospect, also 22, bats right-handed and can play multiple positions. He’s coming off a productive season at Triple-A Toledo last year, hitting 14 home runs with 61 RBI and a .748 OPS.
▶ Left-handed pitcher Jake Miller. Ranked 19th, the 24-year-old burst on the Tigers’ radar in 2024 when he jumped three levels and finished with 1.85 ERA, 0.939 WHIP and nearly 11 strikeouts per nine innings in 87.1 innings. He was expected to be an option for the Tigers last season but was limited to just six starts and 20 innings because of a back injury.
▶ Catcher-first baseman Eduardo Valencia. He has been in the Tigers’ organization since he was signed out of Venezuela in 2018. He leap-frogged several rungs on the depth chart with a monster offensive season last year. The right-handed slugger raked against Double-A and Triple-A pitching, slashing .311/.382/.559 with a .941 OPS, 24 homers and 95 RBI in 103 games.
▶ Utility player Trei Cruz: Drafted in the third round in 2020 out of Rice University, Cruz came into his own last year in his age-26 season. Between Double-A and Triple-A, he slashed .279/.411/.456 with an .867 OPS, 13 homers and 66 RBI. He drew 102 walks with 121 strikeouts in 564 plate appearance. Drafted as a shortstop, he played five different positions last season.
Among the prospects left unprotected were third baseman Izaac Pacheco (No. 21), right-handed pitcher R.J. Petit (No. 30), outfielders Justice Bigbie, Ben Malgeri, Roberto Campos and Seth Stephenson, and pitchers Yosber Sanchez, Lael Lockhart and Tanner Kohlhepp.
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