Jake Rogers is returning to the Detroit Tigers.
The Tigers and Rogers avoided arbitration Friday, Nov. 21, by signing a $3.05 million contract for the 2026 season, according to a person with knowledge of the agreement. He shifted from starting catcher to backup catcher in 2025.
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Rogers was set to enter his third (and final) round of salary arbitration, scheduled to become a free agent after the 2026 season. Players between three and six years of MLB service time are eligible for arbitration in the offseason.
Detroit Tigers catcher Jake Rogers smiles as he hugs Zach McKinstry in the dugout during the game against the Athletics at Comerica Park in Detroit on Thursday, June 26, 2025.
Rogers earned $2.64 million in 2025, meaning he has received an $410,000 raise with his $3.05 million salary in 2026.
The Tigers have reaffirmed their plan to pair Rogers and Dillon Dingler as their catching tandem in the 2026 season, with Dingler as the starter and Rogers in the backup role.
In 2025, Rogers opened the season as the starting catcher, but less than two weeks in, a left oblique injury in early April sidelined him. Dingler took over and never looked back, emerging as the starter and pushing Rogers into a backup role.
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Rogers was an AL Gold Glove Award finalist in 2024.
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This story will be updated.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers, Jake Rogers avoid arbitration for $3.05 million