DETROIT — After Tuesday’s flurry of roster moves, the Detroit Tigers woke up Wednesday with a clearer picture of their infield and a thinner bullpen.

The Tigers added five prospects to their 40-man roster ahead of the Rule 5 protection deadline, more than many expected. Veteran second baseman Gleyber Torres also accepted a qualifying offer to return in 2026.

To make room, the Tigers DFA’d six relievers, including right-hander Jason Foley and left-hander Sean Guenther, both of whom played important roles in the 2024 playoff push.

Here are the key takeaways from the busy day.

The Tigers’ infield appears mostly set.

Never say never, but it is harder to see the Tigers making a strong push for free-agent infielders Bo Bichette or Alex Bregman after Torres’ return.

With Spencer Torkelson at first and Torres at second, the Tigers have as many as eight plausible options for the left side of the infield: Colt Keith, Zach McKinstry, Javier Báez, Andy Ibáñez, Matt Vierling, Trey Sweeney, Jace Jung and top prospect Kevin McGonigle.

Sure, McKinstry and Báez may be due for a step back after All-Star seasons in 2025, but signing Bregman would not solve that problem and would only take at-bats from Keith, who seems poised for another step forward in 2026.

Signing Bichette to handle shortstop might make more sense, except many evaluators believe his defensive limitations will eventually push him to second base, possibly as soon as 2026.

Even if the Tigers wait until late summer to call up McGonigle, his looming presence suggests they will be cautious about long-term infield commitments.

Counterpoint: There is still room for Bregman.

Keith was thrown into the fire at third base and handled himself well in 2025, but he is not an elite defender. The Tigers may prefer him to move around the infield and share a rotating DH role with outfielders Kerry Carpenter and Riley Greene.

Keith’s versatility would also give the Tigers valuable injury insurance.

With Bregman at third, a Báez-McKinstry combo at shortstop could keep the spot warm until McGonigle arrives.

If McGonigle ultimately cannot stick at shortstop, Plan B would be a shift to second base in 2027. Third base would be off the table if Bregman is in the fold.

But the bullpen is the most glaring need.

From a pure volume standpoint, the Tigers simply do not have many relievers.

As of now, only three can safely be penciled in for Opening Day: right-hander Will Vest and lefties Tyler Holton and Brant Hurter.

Expect the Tigers to be in the market for high-end relief help. Devin Williams and Ryan Helsley make sense as targets. Edwin Díaz might be a stretch.

This could also be the year that some peripheral starters, such as Keider Montero, move to the bullpen full-time.

Speaking of starters.

Expect the Tigers to add one more starting pitcher to complement the projected rotation of Tarik Skubal, Jack Flaherty, Casey Mize, Reese Olson and rookie Troy Melton.

Injuries are inevitable, and if the Tigers arrive at the end of March fully healthy, Melton could easily be nudged to the bullpen to wait for his turn.

With Flaherty back, the Tigers have the flexibility to wait until just before spring training to see which starters are still available at discount prices, similar to how they landed Flaherty last winter.

About the youngsters who were added.

There were no true sure things among the players the Tigers chose to protect. Even the highest-rated prospect, Thayron Liranzo, wasn’t a sure thing because he was coming off a down year, and teams rarely select unpolished catchers in the Rule 5 Draft.

But this week always provides insight into how clubs truly value players. It also offers a glimpse into how teams believe the rest of the league evaluates a given player.

So it was notable to see the Tigers somewhat aggressively add five players.

In addition to Liranzo and infielder Hao-Yu Lee, the two most obvious choices, the Tigers added utility man Trei Cruz, who has had a long minor-league climb since being drafted in the third round out of Rice in 2020, and Jake Miller, who endured an injury-riddled 2025 season.

The most interesting addition might be Eduardo Valencia, who came out of nowhere to post a monster offensive season in 2025.

Valencia is a catcher-first baseman, and it is not clear he has the defensive ability to stick behind the plate in the big leagues. But his bat was convincing enough for the Tigers to protect him.

That leaves the Tigers with four catchers on the 40-man roster — Dillon Dingler, Jake Rogers, Liranzo and Valencia — although it is a good bet that Tomás Nido will serve as the “third catcher” in Toledo, at least to start the season.

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