Detroit Free Press

The Detroit Tigers announced Tuesday that former utility infielder Tom Matchick, a member of the 1968 World Series championship team, has died. He was 78. Matchick played three seasons with the Tigers, making his major league debut in 1967 and staying with the team through the 1969 season, before he was to Boston. He also

Detroit Tigers right-handed pitcher Rony Garcia is back to full health after a season-ending left knee injury in June. He made his second start last Thursday, and first in the postseason, for Estrellas de Oriente in the Dominican Winter League. Garcia was restricted in his pitch count but fired four scoreless innings in an 8-0 win over Gigantes del Cibao. He allowed one hit

Detroit Tigers pitching prospect Alex Faedo, the No. 18 overall pick in the 2017 draft out of Florida, said in October 2020 he thought he was ready for his MLB debut. He had pitched a full season for Double-A Erie in 2019, impressing with a 3.90 ERA with 25 walks and 134 strikeouts across 115⅓ innings in 22

Detroit Tigers outfielder Victor Reyes wants to be a part of something special in Venezuela. The 27-year-old was supposed to play for Caribes de Anzoategui in the Venezuelan Winter League from Dec. 8 until Dec. 22, the end of the regular season, but he has decided to stay active on the roster as his team seeks a championship.

It’s been quite the journey for Joey Wentz. He came to the Detroit Tigers from the Atlanta Braves in a 2019 trade. He made five starts in Double-A Erie as part of a rotation that featured Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal, Matt Manning and Alex Faedo. That team’s manager, former Tigers catcher Mike Rabelo, once said Wentz

In 1995, Bernd Solbach received an opportunity from his employer. Ford Motor Company wanted Solbach — from Pulheim near Cologne, Germany — to move to Detroit for two years. He had been with the company for quite some time, and his promotion offered him a taste of its headquarters in the Motor City from 1995-96. “He worked with

Detroit Tigers first base coach Kimera Bartee, who played six years in the major leagues and four seasons with the Tigers, died on Monday. He was 49 years old. Bartee’s cause of death is unknown, but the Tigers were not aware of any illness. Tigers general manager Al Avila and manager AJ Hinch have spoken to

Detroit Tigers right-hander Rony Garcia, fully recovered from a left knee injury, pitched competitively for the first time since early June. He took the mound Friday as the starter for Estrellas de Oriente in the Dominican Winter League, tossing two scoreless innings with no walks and three strikeouts. He threw 21 of 28 pitches for strikes.

The Detroit Tigers picked Beau Brieske in the 27th round of the 2019 draft. The right-handed pitcher went from Perry High School in Gilbert, Arizona, to Glendale (Arizona) Community College and then to Division II Colorado State-Pueblo, with each stop providing hurdles along his journey to becoming a professional baseball player. “There was a chance I

Nick Kuzia didn’t know he was eligible for the 2021 Rule 5 draft. The minor-league portion, at least. “I knew the draft was going on,” Kuzia, a right-handed reliever, said Tuesday morning. “I didn’t know. I wasn’t told anything. I just assumed I wasn’t eligible. I was driving home from my workout, and my college coach (Ken

Javier Baez wanted to bet on himself. So, the free-agent shortstop requested — and received — the Miguel Cabrera package for award bonuses as part of his six-year, $140 million contract with the Detroit Tigers, a source with knowledge of the contract details told the Free Press. The deal became official Dec. 1, ahead of the collective bargaining agreement’s expiration

Jacob Barnes thinks he has it figured out. At the very least, the equation to solve his problem. The Detroit Tigers signed Barnes, a right-handed reliever, to a minor-league contract Dec. 1 with an invitation to spring training. The six-year MLB veteran heard from more than a dozen teams. He spoke to the Tigers’ analytics staffers and minor-league

Detroit Tigers outfielder Victor Reyes homered in his Dec. 8 debut for Caribes de Anzoategui in the Venezuelan Winter League. Then, the 27-year-old secured player of the week honors for the first time in his career. Reyes hit .421 (8-for-19) with two doubles, one triple, two homers, nine RBIs, three walks and two strikeouts in his first

Andrew Romine remembers counting down the days. Ten days before Opening Day in 2014, Romine was shagging fly balls in the outfield during batting practice in spring training. Then-Los Angeles Angels general manager Jerry DiPoto emerged on the field, pointed to his young shortstop and sent a clear message. “Get off the field,” DiPoto yelled. ROSTER PREDICTION 2.0: Tigers fill

Whenever MLB’s lockout ends, the Detroit Tigers will reconvene in Lakeland, Florida, home of the team’s spring training facility, to embark on a new season. This year, the Tigers have a chance to snap their seven-year postseason dry spell, thanks to three offseason additions: catcher Tucker Barnhart, left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez and shortstop Javier Baez. The Tigers

There’s a new No. 1 prospect in the Detroit Tigers‘ farm system. Outfielder Riley Greene, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2019 MLB draft, has passed first baseman Spencer Torkelson, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 draft, according to Baseball America‘s preseason Tigers top 10 prospects list. Greene is ranked No. 1, with Torkelson

The Detroit Tigers always intended to tender veteran catcher Dustin Garneau a contract for the 2022 season. But Garneau is the definition of a journeyman. He has played 160 games across parts of seven seasons for six teams: Colorado Rockies (2015-17), Oakland Athletics (2017, 2019), Chicago White Sox (2018), Los Angeles Angels (2019), Houston Astros

The Detroit Tigers added a pair of right-handed relievers — Elvis Alvarado and Nick Kuzia — to the organization in Wednesday’s minor-league phase of the 2021 Rule 5 draft. International signees or high school draft picks from 2017 and college draftees from 2018 needed to be protected from this year’s Rule 5 draft. Among these groups, players not on the

Matthew Boyd doesn’t want his time with the Detroit Tigers to end. But he understands baseball is a business. The Tigers non-tendered him at the Nov. 30 deadline, meaning the 30-year-old did not receive a contract for the upcoming season and became a free agent for the first time in his career. “It hurt, just being

Detroit Tigers reliever Joe Jimenez stood on the mound Friday to pitch the ninth inning, making his season debut for Gigantes de Carolina in the Puerto Rican Winter League. The 26-year-old clashed with three batters: Vimael Machin, Nelson Velazquez and Mark Contreras. He retired his opponents in order, striking out Machin and Contreras, to earn the save