Tigers reliever Drew Carlton has cleared waivers and been outrighted off the 40-man roster, relays Evan Woodbery of MLive (Twitter link). Detroit’s 40-man roster tally now sits at 39.
Carlton was selected to make his big league debut in September. The 26-year-old made four appearances down the stretch, allowing a pair of runs on six hits and four walks with a strikeout over his first 3 2/3 MLB innings. That brief stint wasn’t great, but Carlton had a far more impressive showing throughout the year with the Mud Hens. He frequently worked multiple frames of relief in Triple-A, compiling 52 1/3 innings over 33 outings. In that time, Carlton posted an impressive 2.92 ERA with a fine 23.6% strikeout percentage and a stellar 4.8% walk rate.
The righty doesn’t have the requisite service time to refuse an outright assignment, so he’ll remain in the organization. Assuming he’s not selected in the upcoming Rule 5 draft, Carlton figures to get an opportunity to compete for a roster spot next Spring Training.