Tigers Add WBC Standout Pitcher to 40-Man Roster in Surprising Move
In this story:
The Detroit Tigers attempted to rebuild their pitching staff both in the starting rotation as well as the bullpen this winter, and that is exactly how they attacked free agency.
While fans will remember the big moves like Kyle Finnegan and Kenley Jansen as well as Justin Verlander and Framber Valdez, so often production is found in terms of quality innings from under the radar signings which don't make huge headlines when they happen.
Such is the case with Venezuelan left-hander Enmanuel De Jesus, who Detroit signed to a minor league deal back in December. On Tuesday morning, the Tigers announced they have selected the contract of De Jesus from Triple-A Toledo and are putting him on the 40-man roster fresh off his dominant showing in the World Baseball Classic.
In a corresponding move, Detroit placed young right-hander Troy Melton -- who is dealing with elbow inflammation -- on the 60-day injured list, which places him out until late May at the earliest.
De Jesus Has Been Very Impressive So Far This Spring for Tigers
After getting off to a strong start to the spring for Detroit, De Jesus left for Team Venezuela where he was absolutely sensational in his outing against Team Israel, holding them to just one run and two hits with eight strikeouts and no walks over five innings.
This was on the heels of 6.1 scoreless innings for the Tigers in spring where he struck out seven and walked just one across two appearances including one start. His latest resurgence comes after a very solid 2025 season in the KBO in which he had a 3.96 ERA and 1.326 WHIP with 165 strikeouts and just 44 walks in 163.2 innings over 32 appearances (30 starts).
His ability to play a potential swingman role is clearly something Detroit coveted, and as a result, he is going to have a chance to break camp in the big leagues.
De Jesus Has Real Chance to Make Tigers Opening Day Roster
Now that De Jesus is already on the 40-man roster, he will begin his battle to crack the roster. His remaining contract options make him a more versatile piece than most minor league signings as Detroit can move him up and down.
Given the Tigers issues in the swingman depth category beyond the top-five in the rotation with the injury to Melton outside of Drew Anderson, De Jesus likely has a great chance to be a real contributor to this team in 2026.
Having both Anderson and De Jesus in the fold however is absolutely huge for the top-to-bottom nature a staff needs to make it through a year, especially after the demotion of Keider Montero following his struggles.
It seems like a lock that the southpaw is going to play some sort of role for Detroit this year, and as a lefty who strikes people out and does not give up a whole lot of walks, that role might wind up being extremely significant.
Michael Brauner is a 2022 graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in Sports Media. He covers various MLB teams across the On SI network and you can also find his work on Yellowhammer News covering the Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers as well as on the radio producing and co-hosting 'The Opening Kickoff' every weekday morning on 105.5 WNSP FM in Mobile, Alabama.