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Detroit Tigers add pitching prospect Keider Montero to 40-man roster, cut three relievers
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- Detroit Tigers add pitching prospect Keider Montero to 40-man roster, cut three relievers
The Detroit Tigers added right-hander Keider Montero , an impending minor-league free agent, to the 40-man roster as one of several roster moves before Monday's deadline as MLB's offseason begins.
Montero moved through three levels, going from High-A West Michigan to Double-A Erie to Triple-A Toledo, in 2023. He posted a 4.66 ERA with 49 walks and 160 strikeouts over 127⅓ innings in 27 games.
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The 23-year-old is the Tigers' No. 26 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline .
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Tigers pitching prospect Keider Montero throws spring training minor league minicamp on Monday, Feb. 21, 2022, at Tiger Town in Lakeland, Florida.
The Tigers made several other roster moves.
To start, five players were reinstated from the 60-day injured list: right-hander Casey Mize , right-handed reliever Freddy Pacheco , left-handed reliever Tyler Alexander , outfielder Riley Greene and outfielder Austin Meadows .
Alexander, though, was designated for assignment.
The 29-year-old has pitched for the Tigers since 2019 and has been a member of the organization since the 2015 draft. If Alexander clears waivers — assuming the Tigers don't trade him — he can choose to become a free agent.
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Alexander logged a 4.50 ERA with five walks and 44 strikeouts across 44 innings in 25 games last season. He suffered a season-ending left lat/shoulder sprain in early July, but he had been expected to be healthy for spring training.
Tigers reliever Tyler Alexander pitches against the Guardians during the sixth inning on Wednesday, April 19, 2023, at Comerica Park.
Right-handed reliever Trey Wingenter and left-handed reliever Andrew Vasquez cleared waivers and were outrighted to Triple-A Toledo. Both relievers, new additions in 2023, failed to capitalize on their opportunities during the season.
Both Alexander and Wingenter were eligible for salary arbitration, so the list of eight salary-arbitration players has been trimmed to six ahead of the Nov. 17 non-tender deadline.
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Infielder Zack Short , who played 177 games for the Tigers over the past three seasons, was claimed off waivers by the New York Mets . The 28-year-old, an above-average defender second base and shortstop, hit .204 with seven home runs in 110 games last season.
The Tigers picked up the club options for catcher Carson Kelly and outfielder Mark Canha , as well. Kelly will earn $3.5 million, while Canha will earn $11.5 million.
The 40-man roster is at 40 players following the flurry of roster moves.
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But the Tigers need to create more space on the 40-man roster before the evening of Nov. 14, which is the deadline to protect minor-league players from the Rule 5 draft.
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Montero was eligible for the Rule 5 draft, but because of his status as an impending minor-league free agent, the Tigers needed to add him to the 40-man roster before Monday's deadline.
Now, Montero won't become a free agent.
Here are some of the other players eligible for December's Rule 5 draft: catcher Dillon Dingler , outfielder Roberto Campos , right-hander Wilmer Flores , left-hander Andrew Magno , left-hander Jake Higginbotham and left-hander Carlos Pena .
Tigers' 40-man roster
Pitchers (20): Beau Brieske , Miguel Díaz, Mason Englert , Alex Faedo , Jason Foley , Sawyer Gipson-Long, Brenan Hanifee , Garrett Hill , Tyler Holton , Alex Lange , Matt Manning , Casey Mize , Keider Montero, Reese Olson , Freddy Pacheco, Tarik Skubal , Spencer Turnbull , Will Vest , Brendan White , Joey Wentz .
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Catchers (3): Carson Kelly , Jake Rogers , Donny Sands .
Infielders (10): Javier Báez , Andy Ibáñez , Ryan Kreidler , Eddys Leonard, Andre Lipcius , Nick Maton , Zach McKinstry , Tyler Nevin , Wenceel Perez, Spencer Torkelson .
Outfielders (7): Akil Baddoo , Mark Canha , Kerry Carpenter , Riley Greene , Austin Meadows , Parker Meadows , Matt Vierling .
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold .
Listen to our weekly Tigers show "Days of Roar" every Monday afternoon on demand at freep.com, Apple Podcasts , Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts .
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers add pitching prospect Keider Montero to 40-man roster
