Detroit Tigers reliever Tyler Mattison on being added to 40-man roster
Right-handed reliever Tyler Mattison joins the “Days of Roar” podcast to discuss being recently added added to the 40-man roster. Full pod out now.
Not too long ago, the Detroit Tigers were counting on right-handed reliever Tyler Mattison to pitch meaningful innings at the end of the regular season and into the postseason in 2025.
That didn’t happen.
But Mattison – one of the most underrated pitchers at the upper levels of the minor leagues – could help in the 2026 season, as the Tigers re-signed him to a minor-league contract Thursday, Dec. 18, with a non-roster invitation to MLB spring training, according to multiple people with knowledge of the agreement.
He will earn $835,000 if he makes the MLB roster.
The Tigers selected Mattison in the fourth round (No. 104 overall) of the 2021 MLB Draft out of Bryant University.
The 26-year-old recently missed 14 months after undergoing Tommy John surgery in mid-March 2024 to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, returning to game action in late May 2025.
In his comeback season, Mattison pitched 37 games across four levels of the minor leagues, including 20 appearances at Triple-A Toledo. For the Mud Hens, he posted a 3.79 ERA with 16 walks and 26 strikeouts over 19 innings, flashing an impressive 29.9% strikeout rate but a concerning 18.4% walk rate.
The path to his MLB debut is easy to understand.
He needs to throw more strikes.
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If Mattison cuts down on the walks, he profiles as a potential high-leverage reliever in the big leagues with his three-pitch mix: four-seam fastball, slider and changeup.
His fastball was his best weapon at the Triple-A level, averaging 94 mph and maxing out at 96.6 mph while holding hitters to a .176 batting average and generating a 30% whiff rate.
It’s no surprise he leaned on his heater heavily, throwing fastballs 64% of the time compared to 26.7% sliders and 9.3% changeups.
He was understandably rusty after going 20 months between games, but Tyler Mattison worked a scoreless inning in his rehab outing today. pic.twitter.com/bV5hvR8BP9
— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) May 28, 2025
In November 2024, the Tigers protected Mattison from the Rule 5 draft by adding him to the 40-man roster, where he spent the entire 2025 season without being promoted to the active 26-man roster.
His status changed this offseason.
The Tigers designated Mattison for assignment Nov. 18 to open a spot on the 40-man roster for another player, then non-tendered him Nov. 21, sending him into free agency.
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He has since re-signed with the Tigers and appears on track to make his MLB debut in 2026.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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