Detroit Tigers Finalize Opening Day Roster With Several New Faces
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The Detroit Tigers are back, ladies and gentlemen! After a long offseason and a 2025 campaign that ended in heartbreak for the franchise, the Tigers spent the offseason turning themselves into World Series contenders, at least on paper.
Throughout the offseason and spring training, Detroit found its way through the ebbs and flows and officially made a final decision on its roster for opening day. A handful of players stood out in the spring; yet only a handful were selected to start the season in the major leagues.
Here are your Detroit Tigers heading into 2026, with a handful of new, and familiar faces.
Right-Handed Pitchers
Drew Anderson
Kyle Finnegan
Jack Flaherty
Kenley Jansen
Casey Mize
Connor Seabold
Justin Verlander
Will Vest
Left-Handed Pitchers
Enmanuel De Jesus
Tyler Holton
Brant Hurter
Tarik Skubal
Framber Valdez
Infielders
Javier Báez
Colt Keith
Kevin McGonigle
Zach McKinstry
Spencer Torkelson
Gleyber Torres
Outfielders
Kerry Carpenter
Riley Greene
Jahmai Jones
Parker Meadows
Matt Vierling
The Tigers' outfield looks as it did last season, only this year, Detroit hopes that Vierling can stay healthy and return to his productivity from 2024. McGonigle is the newest face in the Tigers' infield, but whether he starts on opening day is yet to be known.
For the rest of the infield, this is a big year if you can play second base and your name isn't Gleyber Torres. Torres will likely elect free agency after this season with the Tigers, meaning that Keith, McGonigle, or McKinstry could be the second baseman of the future, so long as this year goes well.
While listed as an outfielder, Jahmai Jones will likely be the designated hitter against lefties on the mound, where he excelled last year. Jones was one of the best hitters in the league at hitting left-handed pitching, even producing for Detroit in the playoffs.
Torkelson might not have gone yard this spring, but once these games start to count, don't be surprised to see the former number one overall pick send some over the wall. Torkelson is looking for his first back-to-back 30-home run season.
Pitching Staff Breakdown
The pitching staff is one of the best in Major League Baseball. Skubal leading the charge, followed by new face Framber Valdez, provides the Tigers one of, if not the best, one-two punch in the league. And to add a cherry on top, Justin Verlander is officially home.
Verlander's spring looks concerning, but as he gets back into the swing of things with the Tigers, the results are bound to be there. And if not, the bullpen will surely keep Detroit in games, as Vest, Finnegan and Jansen are a dangerous three-headed monster.
It will be this pitching staff and the depth who are bound to help out at some point this season that will get the Tigers to the playoffs. On paper, this team should be the AL Central frontrunners, but crazier things have happened. It's time for this team to lock in and find that 2025 first-half success again.
Dominic Minchella is a 2024 Eastern Michigan University graduate with a BA in Communications, Media, and Theatre Arts and a Journalism minor. He covers Major League Baseball for On SI and spends his free time watching games and sharing his insights.