The Tigers have announced their final roster moves prior to Opening Day. Right-hander Alex Faedo and lefty Joey Wentz will be the final two members of their eight-man bullpen, joining Alex Lange, Jason Foley, Shelby Miller, Andrew Chafin, Tyler Holton, and Will Vest. Right-hander Beau Brieske, despite a fantastic camp, has been optioned to Triple-A Toledo. Right-hander Miguel Diaz, also in the running down the stretch, is without options and set to be designated for assignment after Tuesday’s game with the Tampa Bay Rays. We’ll see if he ends up back in the fold or if he gets picked up by another team.
The 28-year-old Faedo won his spot with an outstanding spring camp. Like many, his velocity and movement were improved this spring, letting his plus slider play up in relief. He allowed just one earned run in 13 1/3 innings of work, striking out 17 hitters to just two walks allowed. Because Faedo had an option year added back onto his status for 2024, it seemed likely that he might go to Toledo to keep working as a starter, but the Tigers decided against that.
It was a tricky decision, as Brieske posted nothing but zeroes over his 13 2⁄3 innings this spring. He allowed no runs, and threw strikes aggressively, allowing just two walks, but the improved depth on his slider didn’t really translate to more whiffs and strikeouts. He’ll return to Triple-A Toledo to help lead their bullpen and try to keep ingraining the re-shaped slider.
Of course, Brieske has options remaining. Joey Wentz does not, and that explains the final decision here. Wentz is a big, hard-throwing lefty, and while he’s been bad in his first looks at the major leagues due to poor command, the Tigers don’t want to give up on him, knowing he’ll be claimed.
Wentz allowed four home runs in 15 1⁄3 innings of work, and probably that’s going to be his downfall as a reliever, but he still held opponents to a 2.93 ERA this spring and racked up 19 strikeouts to just five walks. Expect the occasional blow-up, but when he’s on Wentz is tough to deal with. He also won’t be tasked with much high leverage work as the third left-hander in the pecking order. Hopefully he thrives in the role and gets comfortable, and the Tigers have a high-90’s lefty to deploy in more important game situations.
Another advantage of Faedo and Wentz, is that either can handle a spot start, and because they’ve struggled to establish themselves, the Tigers aren’t going to be real precious with their role. Manager AJ Hinch can use them to fill gaps and help keep his late innings relievers sharp and rested.
Brieske did look good, and he and Drew Anderson will be a nice 1-2 punch in the Mud Hens bullpen as they look to build on their spring gains. Probably both will get a look in Detroit at some point as attrition takes its toll. As we saw with Matt Manning getting optioned after three years of major league work, getting sent down now is partly about the Tigers pitching depth rather than their actual performances.
Joey Wentz and Alex Faedo made the Opening Day roster, joining six other relievers in the bullpen. Beau Brieske has been optioned to Triple-A Toledo; Miguel Díaz isn’t making the roster. #Tigers
— Evan Petzold (@EvanPetzold) March 26, 2024
Donny Sands released
In other news on Tuesday morning, veteran minor league catcher was released. Sands was the third piece acquired in the Gregory Soto trade with the Philadelphia Phillies last offseason. He handled a lot of the catching duties early on last year before giving way to Dillon Dingler when the Tigers top catching prospect was promoted to Toledo. It looks like the Mud Hens will have Dingler starting, and left-handed hitting veteran Anthony Bemboom catching for Toledo at least to start with.