Detroit Tigers DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

The Detroit Tigers optioned right-hander Beau Brieske to Triple-A Toledo on Tuesday. The Tigers now have 28 players remaining in major-league camp with Opening Day coming on Thursday. Brieske lost out to Joey Wentz and Alex Faedo for one of the last spots in Detroit's bullpen to start the year. The 25-year-old former 27th-round pick in 2019 out of Colorado State-Pueblo has made 40 appearances (16 starts) in the majors for the Tigers the last two years and has a 4.01 ERA (4.68 FIP), a 1.25 WHIP, two saves, 37 walks and 85 strikeouts in 116 2/3 innings pitched. The Tigers could elect to stretch him out in the minors to give them more flexibility if they call him up to the big-league roster this year.

San Francisco Giants infielder Wilmer Flores (knee) returned to Cactus League action on Friday against the Chicago Cubs, starting at first base and batting third in the lineup. Flores returned to the field on Friday after he was scratched from Wednesday's Cactus League lineup due to minor knee soreness. The fact that the 32-year-old is already back on the field heading into the weekend suggests he won't open the 2024 regular season on the injured list next week. The Venezuelan veteran hit an impressive .284/.355/.509 with an .863 OPS, a career-high 23 home runs and 60 RBI in 126 games in 2023 in his third year in the Bay Area. At the very least, Flores should be a lineup regular for the Gigantes this year against left-handed pitching at either first base or designated hitter.

Detroit Tigers right-hander Casey Mize (elbow) has made the team's starting rotation after fellow righty Matt Manning was optioned to Triple-A Toledo on Friday. Mize, Manning, and Reese Olson were in competition for the final two rotation spots with the Tigers. Additionally, Mize is unlikely to face restrictions to begin the season, although the team is going to monitor his innings as the season goes along in his return from Tommy John surgery. The 26-year-old hasn't been on a big-league mound since April 14 of 2022 but has returned with a strong 2.45 ERA with 14 strikeouts and nine walks across 15 1/3 innings in spring training. He has been hitting 97 mph on his four-seam fastball and stated he has never been more confident to use that pitch as a weapon.

Detroit Tigers right-hander Reese Olson has secured himself a spot in the team's Opening Day starting rotation after the club optioned Matt Manning to Triple-A Toledo on Friday. Olson beat out Manning by posting a 3.68 ERA with 14 strikeouts and four walks in 14 2/3 innings in Grapefruit League action. In his rookie season in 2023 with Detroit, the 24-year-old former 13th-round pick in 2018 by the Milwaukee Brewers went 5-7 with a 3.99 ERA (4.01 FIP) and 1.12 WHIP while walking 33 and striking out 103 in 103 2/3 frames over 21 appearances (18 starts). Olson doesn't have above-average stuff, but he has a five-pitch mix and is a sneaky flier in deep-mixed leagues and AL-only setups in his sophomore season.

The Detroit Tigers announced on Friday that they optioned right-hander Matt Manning to Triple-A Toledo. The team also reassigned right-hander Drew Anderson to minor-league camp. Manning will head to the farm to open the 2024 campaign after losing out on a starting rotation spot in Detroit to Casey Mize and Reese Olson. The 26-year-old former ninth overall pick in 2016 will most likely be the first man up to join the Tigers' rotation this year once a need arises. In his third year in the big leagues in 2023, he went 5-4 with a 3.58 ERA (4.81 FIP) and 1.04 WHIP with 21 walks and 50 strikeouts in 78 innings pitched over 15 starts. If Manning can get past the injury bug that has hurt him in each of the last two seasons, he could easily become a mixed-league asset for fantasy managers.