Troy Melton News: Projected to be in 2026 rotation

Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris and manager A.J. Hinch said at their end-of-season press conference Monday that Melton will be a starting pitcher next season, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Melton bounced between the rotation and bullpen for the Tigers in 2025 both in the regular season and playoffs and was impressive in both roles, collecting a 2.76 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 36:15 K:BB over 45.2 regular-season frames. The 24-year-old has been almost exclusively a starting pitcher in the minors and held a 2.99 ERA and 101:20 K:BB across 75.1 innings between Double-A Erie and Triple-A Toledo this season.