The Detroit Tigers optioned right-handed pitcher Matt Manning on Friday, so Casey Mize and Reese Olson will begin the season in the starting rotation.
This spring, the three pitchers engaged in a month-long fight. All three pitched effectively, and the decision came down to the wire.
Tarik Skubal, who started on opening day, and experienced acquisitions Kenta Maeda and Jack Flaherty complete out the five-man rotation, joining Mize and Olson.
The Tigers also announced that veteran non-roster invitee Drew Anderson, a right-handed reliever, has been transferred to minor league camp.
That leaves four relievers competing for the final two bullpen spots: lefty Joey Wentz and righties Beau Brieske, Miguel Diaz, and Alex Faedo.
Right-hander Sawyer Gipson-Long (left groin strain) is still in camp, but he is anticipated to start the season on the injured list.
The Tigers must complete their 26-man roster before facing the White Sox on Opening Day, March 28 in Chicago.
Manning, 26, was drafted ninth overall by the Tigers out of high school in 2016. He holds the unique distinction of being a consensus top-100 prospect in both the Baseball America and MLB Pipeline rankings for five straight seasons.
Manning has made 45 major league starts over the last three seasons, despite occasional freakish injuries.
In Toronto on April 11, last season, he caught a line drive in his right foot, breaking a toe. He missed ten weeks.
On September 6 in New York, he was struck in the same foot, breaking a separate bone and missing the final four weeks of the 2023 campaign.
Manning has a 3.58 ERA in 78 innings in 15 starts in 2023. Other numbers weren’t as hopeful as his ERA. His FIP (4.81), anticipated FIP (5.35), expected ERA (5.39), and Deserved Run Average (5.79) were all significantly higher.
Manning performed admirably this spring, with a 3.38 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 16 innings, but six of his eight hits allowed were home runs.
However, the decision to go with Mize and Olson over Manning was not an indictment of Manning, but rather an admission that a deserving pitcher would have to be left behind. Manning was the odd one out.
Anderson, who turned 30 on Friday, has spent the previous two seasons pitching in Japan. Prior to that, he appeared briefly in five major league seasons for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago White Sox, and Texas Rangers.
He drew attention this spring with his enhanced velocity and was the final non-roster invitee to be cut, implying he’ll see action in Detroit at some point this season.
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