Why isn't Troy Melton a starter? Detroit Tigers believe he's more valuable as reliever

KANSAS CITY, MO — Detroit Tigers right-hander Troy Melton is a starting pitcher.

He just isn’t a starter right now.

The 24-year-old has all the tools to become a frontline starter sooner rather than later, thanks to a 97 mph fastball that misses bats in the strike zone, an above-average slider to boost his whiff rate, relentless strike-throwing and a six-pitch mix.

For all those reasons, the Tigers have been using Melton as often as possible in the 2025 season, which is exactly why he’s pitching out of the bullpen.

“We feel like the best way to use him is to use him more often than every five-day randomness or every six-day randomness,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “It’s an advantage to have Troy Melton available more often, even if it’s just in shorter bursts. We may start him down the road this season. We might not.”

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Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Troy Melton (52) delivers a pitch against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning at Rate Field in Chicago on Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025.

In 2025, Melton has a 2.45 ERA with five walks and 25 strikeouts across 29⅓ innings in nine games, including three starts. His 0.89 WHIP ranks seventh (and his 2.45 ERA ranks 12th) among 113 pitchers with at least 29 innings since July 23 — the day he made his MLB debut.

It didn’t take long for Melton to settle into the bullpen, even after starting 63 of his 66 games in the minor leagues.

“As a starter, I would wake up and my whole day was based around pitching,” Melton said. “I don’t really have that anymore, which is different, but it’s kind of nice. I guess it’s a little bit more freeing. But I don’t really think about it anymore.”

Melton understands the Tigers’ plan.

More Melton. More wins.

“When I get the ball, I want to help the team win, whether it’s in the first inning or the fourth inning or the eighth inning,” Melton said. “I don’t want to be the reason that our team loses any of the games, but I want to help out in a lot of wins. I guess I can help out with more wins if I’m out of the bullpen, so I guess it is an added bonus, but it’s the same game.”

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Since July 23, the Tigers’ starting rotation ranks 17th in MLB with a 4.45 ERA. The five starters: Tarik Skubal (2.18 ERA), Charlie Morton (4.61 ERA), Jack Flaherty (4.66 ERA), Chris Paddack (5.40 ERA) and Casey Mize (5.79 ERA).

Wouldn’t Melton be more effective?

Probably, but then the Tigers wouldn’t be able to use him in a path to a win in the middle-to-late innings roughly three times per week, typically bridging the gap to the high-leverage relievers Kyle Finnegan and Will Vest.

“First off, he’s a weapon,” Hinch said, “which is one thing that we said pretty consistently with how we were going to use him — factoring in more times over a five- to 10-day period than a simple start.”

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The Tigers have won six of nine games when Melton pitches, including five wins in his last six games.

In a recent six-day span, he worked three times — four outs in the sixth and seventh innings of a 4-2 win (Aug. 23), nine outs in the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth innings of a 7-6 loss in extra innings (Aug. 26) and five outs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings of a 5-3 win (Aug. 29).

As a starter, Melton would’ve only been able to pitch once in that six-day stretch of five games.

That’s why he’s a reliever right now.

“I have a decent idea of when I’m going to be hot, at least, so that helps a lot,” Melton said. “My first one, I was told when I was going to be in there. Other than that, it’s been, ‘You’re available today, so be ready.’ It’s been a little adjustment, but not too crazy.”

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Don’t expect Melton’s role to change in 2025.

The Tigers are not only maximizing his value, but they’re also protecting his health, as most young pitchers are placed on innings limits. He has thrown 104⅔ innings across the Double-A, Triple-A and MLB levels this season, already surpassing his previous career high of 100⅔ innings.

There’s no doubt Melton will be an X-factor for the Tigers in the postseason, even if he’s not a starter.

“It’s nice to have a guy who bounces back and who can inherit runners and how can come out and flash his high-end stuff and help us win,” Hinch said, evaluating Melton. “We’re going to continue to do that with him in hopes that every outing when he has success, it builds more and more comfort.”

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: A.J. Hinch: Detroit Tigers value Troy Melton as reliever over starter

Why isn’t Troy Melton a starter? Detroit Tigers believe he’s more valuable as reliever

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