Detroit — The Tigers acted proactively Sunday to avoid losing one of their right-handed pitching prospects to free agency.
They added 23-year-old right-hander Elvin Rodriguez to the 40-man roster. Had they not, an intriguing starting pitcher they acquired from the Angels in 2017 in the Justin Upton trade would have become a six-year, minor league free agent.
Rodriguez, who made 18 starts at Double-A Erie last season, also pitched two scoreless innings with three strikeouts at Triple-A Toledo. He, along with lefty Joey Wentz and right-hander Alex Faedo, are expected to provide some rotation depth for the Tigers as they try to navigate through the 2022 season.
There will be more roster churning in the next couple of weeks.
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The Tigers may have to add a few more prospects to the 40-man roster before Nov. 19 if they want to protect them from being selected in the Rule 5 draft. Among those who would be eligible include right-handed pitcher Reese Olson (ranked No. 7 in the organization by MLB Pipeline), second baseman Kody Clemens (No. 18), and right-handed pitchers Paul Richan (No. 25), Logan Shore (unranked) and Angel De Jesus (unranked).
After reinstating Rony Garcia, Spencer Turnbull and Jake Rogers from the 60-day injured list, the Tigers’ roster is presently at 40.
Additionally, as expected, the club exercised the $7.5 million option for catcher Tucker Barnhart.
chris.mccosky@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @cmccosky