TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tigers took a relatively laid-back approach to the ABS Challenge System for the first half of Grapefruit League play. It wasn’t that manager A.J. Hinch and his coaches didn’t care; they wanted to see how players handled the option to challenge on their own. On Friday,

DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Ask most starting pitchers, and they’ll say they don’t think about who’s starting on the mound for the opposing team. They don’t have to pitch to the guy, or worry about hitting him, so they’ll focus on their own game. But when Tarik Skubal realized earlier in

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Pirates reliever Chris Devenski was still being evaluated one day after he was struck in the head by a line drive during Friday night’s 7-5 win over the Tigers at Joker Marchant Stadium, but so far, the news is the best the Bucs could hope for. "Nothing

DUNEDIN, Fla. -- More than once in his career, Casey Mize has gone into the final days of Spring Training needing a strong final outing to help secure a rotation spot. So by comparison, heading into the final days of this camp needing to secure his fastball mechanics feels lower

LAKELAND, Fla. -- The line drive wasn’t exactly scorched as it headed into center field, an 83.2 mph liner eclipsed by the 86.6 mph velocity on the cutter that Parker Meadows hit. But the way Meadows’ Spring Training started, he’s not going to be picky.

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LAKELAND, Fla. -- Justin Verlander could understand being called insane, the way his second start back as a Tiger unfolded. Through three innings, he had four strikeouts, but three hits allowed -- all home runs, all off fastballs, all against left-handed hitters, all intended for the outside corner but left

LAKELAND, Fla. -- The clubhouse at Joker Marchant Stadium was virtually empty Wednesday morning. The Tigers were playing a three-hour drive away in Fort Myers, and players who didn’t make the trip had the day off. But for Tarik Skubal, it was back to work.

LAKELAND, Fla. -- The Tigers check out of Tigertown in a week and a half. Two weeks from Thursday, they begin their regular season in San Diego. Opening Day can sneak up on you, but manager A.J. Hinch made a point to remind players a week ago how it’s creeping

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The Tigers’ wait for Troy Melton will continue until the last week of May at the earliest. That much became clear on Tuesday, when Detroit placed its gifted young right-hander on the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man roster spot for left-hander Enmanuel De Jesus.

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Tarik Skubal will make his next start on Saturday for the Tigers. That was the plan all along when the Tigers and the back-to-back American League Cy Young Award winner laid out his Spring Training schedule to fit in an appearance for Team USA in the

This story was excerpted from Jason Beck’s Tigers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

LAKELAND, Fla. -- The word should be out by now: Don’t start off Kevin McGonigle with a cookie. Six days after the Tigers’ top prospect – and MLB’s No. 2 prospect overall – started off the Tigers’ visit to the Dominican Republic by turning on Luis Severino’s 98 mph fastball

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Max Clark’s first Major League camp is over. But the Tigers’ No. 2 prospect showed plenty with Detroit in Spring Training to reassure that it won’t be his last. With just a couple weeks left in Spring Training and the Tigers ramping up playing time for their

DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Max Anderson has always been a glasses guy on the baseball field. “Always worn them,” the Tigers’ No. 5 prospect said of his signature look with specs. “I struggled to get [comfortable putting in] contacts and then wore glasses and just never went back. I wear glasses

DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Hours after Tarik Skubal left open the possibility of making another start for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said they’ll sleep on it before making a decision. “I don't think anything's been determined,” Hinch said Sunday morning before the Tigers faced

LAKELAND, Fla. -- The ball jumped off Konnor Griffin’s bat looking like another hard-hit line drive for baseball’s top prospect. “I thought I had me a little single,” the Pirates phenom said afterward. On the other side of the drive, Kevin McGonigle -- baseball’s No. 2 prospect -- had a

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Fans at Joker Marchant Stadium lined up two-deep along the right-field railing just to get a glimpse of Justin Verlander warming in the bullpen below them. “He’s back,” one proclaimed. “Let’s hope his arm holds up,” an anxious but hopeful fan said to someone. “If we can

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Tigers No. 4 prospect Josue Briceño said he expects to miss “a few months” after undergoing surgery to repair the extensor carpi ulnaris subsheath in his right wrist. The injury is a blow to the development of one of the best all-around hitters in the Tigers farm

This story was excerpted from Jason Beck’s Tigers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

The Tigers are unbeaten through two years of MLB’s Spring Breakout series, and they’ll bring a prospect-loaded roster into this year’s event as they try to back up their standing as one of baseball’s top farm systems. Fans in Detroit and elsewhere will have a chance to watch the future

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Tyler Mattison still remembers the first time he learned about spin rate on his fastball. Former Red Sox pitching coach Dana LeVangie’s son Liam was Mattison's teammate at Bryant University, and Mattison’s pitching made an impression. “He was saying, 'Hey, you spin your fastball pretty well,'” Mattison

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Tigers fans were welcomed back to the familiar voice of Jason Benetti last Sunday for the team’s first test of its new streaming product. The renowned play-by-play broadcaster is about to become a familiar part of Sundays for baseball fans everywhere. Benetti has joined NBC Sports as

LAKELAND, Fla. -- The next wave of young Tigers talent is about to knock on Detroit's doorstep. It's not just top prospect Kevin McGonigle, who continues to make a case for Detroit's Opening Day roster as a starting stortstop. It's not just Max Clark, who could make a push to

LAKELAND, Fla. – Monday marked the Tigers debut for Framber Valdez. But as the big lefty sinkerballer took the mound at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium for three scoreless innings against the Braves, he could be forgiven for having flashbacks. Nine years ago, Valdez was throwing sinkers to Jake