The General Managers’ meetings got underway today out in Las Vegas, Nevada. President of Baseball Operations, Scott Harris, is out there representing the Tigers and held a small press conference late this afternoon. There will be a lot of interesting points to come as we digest what he had to say to the media, but the first order of business was a bit of housekeeping on the current roster.
The Detroit Tigers announced a plethora of updates on a handful of its players who missed time during the 2022 season late Tuesday evening. Any player not listed is presumed healthy.
RHP Beau Brieske (right forearm soreness) is symptom-free and performing his normal off-season throwing program.
Brieske last pitched on July 12 after a solid rookie campaign for the Tigers. He finished the season with a 4.19 ERA and 0.7 rWAR in 15 games.
OF Kerry Carpenter (left lumbar spine strain) has advanced into rotation strength work and will work into his normal off-season hitting progression in December.
It sounds that the rookie slugger isn’t yet 100%, but should be fine come spring training. Carpenter exploded onto the scene in Detroit following a monster campaign in the minor leagues, hitting six home runs in the big leagues in just 31 games.
UTIL Willi Castro (left hamstring strain) is symptom-free and performing his normal off-season program.
Castro is a candidate to be non-tendered by the new front office regime following an underwhelming run in Detroit.
RHP Alex Faedo (right hip injury) is working on hip range of motion, strength and balance work. He is scheduled to begin his throwing progression in mid-November.
The timeline for Faedo’s return to in-game action seems somewhat ambiguous. The former first-round pick showed flashes of brilliance in his first major league season before being shut down in July. Still, assuming no setbacks in his recovery there’s a good chance he’s ready to go by next spring.
RHP Kyle Funkhouser (right shoulder strain) is working on shoulder range of motion, strength and scapular control. He is currently in the pre-throwing phase of his program.
Funkhouser missed the entire 2022 season, and it sounds like he could miss even more time. He is a candidate to be non-tendered this off-season.
RHP Rony Garcia (right shoulder soreness) is symptom-free and performing his normal off-season throwing progression.
Barring any setbacks, Garcia seems to be healthy following his shutdown in late July. The former Rule 5 pick was serviceable but unspectacular for Detroit in 2022.
LHP Sean Guenther (left elbow UCL injury) is currently throwing at 75 feet and having no issues. He will look to return to mound work late in Spring Training.
Guenther was claimed off waivers from the Miami Marlins by Scott Harris recently despite working his way back from Tommy John surgery. He pitched to a 9.30 ERA and 46 ERA+ in 14 games in 2021.
RHP Joe Jimenez (right lumbar spine strain) is focusing on lumbar spine stability and core control strength. He is expected to be ready for Spring Training.
This is good news for Detroit. Jimenez had a strong bounce-back season in 2022, throwing to a 109 ERA+ and 2.00 FIP with a 77/13 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He was one of the better relievers in all baseball and may be an interesting trade chip for Harris this offseason. If not, he’ll be expected to be a key piece of the 2023 bullpen.
RHP Matt Manning (right forearm strain) is symptom-free and performing his normal off-season throwing progression.
This is the best possible news for Manning and the Tigers. The 24-year-old flashed his ace potential in 2022, but was held to just 12 outings.
OF Austin Meadows (bilateral achilles strains) is symptom-free and performing his normal off-season program.
This, too, is welcome news. Meadows had a frustrating 2022 season, dealing with several bizarre injuries, including vertigo. He last played on June 15.
RHP Casey Mize (right elbow sprain) is working on maintaining full range of motion. He is progressing into the strength phase of his rehab.
Mize pitched in just two games in 2022 before succumbing to an elbow injury and eventually having Tommy John surgery. It is currently unclear if the former first overall pick will play in 2023. If he does, expect it to be pretty late in the season.
C Jake Rogers (right elbow sprain) is recently started a throwing progression and is throwing at 60 feet.
Another player recovering from Tommy John surgery, Rogers missed the entire 2022 campaign, too. There were whispers of a potential late-season return, but they were shut down rather quickly.
LHP Tarik Skubal (left elbow flexor muscle repair) is focused on overall forearm and grip strength without restriction.
This update is a vague one regarding the Tigers 2022 ace, but he’s still early in his rehabilitation for surgery to a tendon in his throwing elbow. Skubal dominated in most of his starts before being shut down in early August. Recent Instagram points have shown Skubal in the gym working on his lower half. He won’t be ready to start the season, and we’ll have to see how long it takes before he’s ready to rejoin the rotation in 2023.
RHP Spencer Turnbull (right elbow strain) is symptom-free and performing his normal off-season throwing progression.
Welcome news for Turnbull and the Tigers. The 30-year-old missed the entire 2022 season following Tommy John surgery. Turnbull dominated in nine starts in 2021, which included a no-hitter in Seattle. All signs point to him being back for Opening Day. For the club to have hopes of putting together a strong rotation next year, they’re going to need the right-hander back in his 2021 breakout form.