The Tigers will call up right-handed pitching prospect Ty Madden to start on Monday night against the White Sox, manager A.J. Hinch told reporters (including Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press). Hinch’s announcement came along with the news that fellow right-hander Alex Faedo has been moved from the paternity list to the 15-day injured list with a right shoulder strain. The Tigers will still need to make a corresponding move (or moves) to free up space for Madden on the 26 and 40-man rosters.
Madden, now 24, joined the Tigers organization as the 32nd overall pick in the 2021 draft. Entering the 2024 season, most sources (including MLB Pipeline, FanGraphs, and Keith Law of The Athletic) ranked him as the second-best pitching prospect in the system, behind only consensus top-100 prospect Jackson Jobe. However, Madden has struggled badly since his promotion to Triple-A in May. He has a 7.97 ERA and 5.28 FIP in 18 starts (79 IP). His 102 strikeouts are impressive, but he has walked 40 batters and given up 17 home runs. While those numbers are hardly encouraging, Madden has looked a little better as of late. He has thrown 29 1/3 innings over his last five starts, and while his 5.83 ERA is poor, his strikeout rate is up, his walk rate is down, and his 2.80 FIP represents a massive improvement.
The Tigers are in the midst of a stretch of 14 games in 14 days, so Madden will provide his new rotation-mates with a breather. That should be helpful for rookies Keider Montero, Bryan Sammons, and Brant Hurter, as well as ace Tarik Skubal, who has already surpassed his previous career high in innings pitched. It is also noteworthy that Madden will actually start the game, per Petzold. The Tigers have been making frequent use of openers lately; Skubal and Montero are the only members of the rotation who have been starting their own contests. That said, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News notes that Hurter will also make a proper start on Tuesday.
This is likely just a spot start for Madden before he heads back to Triple-A or joins Detroit’s bullpen. Casey Mize (60-day IL, hamstring strain) will return from the IL shortly, while Reese Olson (15-day IL, shoulder strain) is beginning the rehab process himself. Still, it makes sense that the Tigers are going to select Madden’s contract, considering they could use the fresh arm and they would have needed to protect from the Rule 5 draft this offseason anyway.
Faedo, 28, has made 37 appearances for the Tigers this season, including six as an opener. Over 57 1/3 innings, he has a 3.61 ERA and a 4.28 SIERA. According to Hinch, Faedo felt some soreness in his shoulder before he went on the paternity list, and the pain returned when he tried to play catch after the birth of his daughter (per McCosky). While it’s not entirely clear how serious the injury is, Hinch expressed hope that it could be “just minor inflammation.”