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Detroit Tigers: Breaking down the players that must come off the 60-day IL

By Matthew Scheidel

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 05: Tyler Alexander #70 of the Detroit Tigers pitches during the second inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on October 05, 2022 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 05: Tyler Alexander #70 of the Detroit Tigers pitches during the second inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on October 05, 2022 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) /
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RP Kyle Funkhouser

Our first reliever on the list, Funkhouser is an interesting case. After a shoulder injury popped up in spring training, he ended missing the entire 2022 season and underwent shoudler surgery in late July. He may be another case where he’s activated, then is put back on the 60-day IL to start the 2023 season.

But Funkhouser really only has one year of proven results, and while it was a good one, it’s hard to count on a guy who has trouble staying healthy. He’s had injury issues ever since the Tigers drafted him in 2015.

He is up for arbitration, and he’s only projected to make $800K according to MLB Trade Rumors. Would be it worth that drop in the bucket to keep him around when he may not pitch? I’m going to go out on a limb and side with my fellow MCB Co-Expert Tyler Kotila and say that the Detroit Tigers might just move on from Funkhouser. It may seem silly to cut him over $800K, but if he’s not healthy, the Tigers may as well give the roster spot to someone who can contribute.

SP/RP Rony Garcia

Garcia did an admirable job in whatever role the Detroit Tigers threw him into this season. He started out as a middle reliever in the bullpen, but they moved him into the rotation after all the injuries to the rotation. Overall, he ended up with a 4.41 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 51 innings pitched. Not great, but it could have been so much worsre.

I think Garcia will stick around, especially if they move on from Funkhouser. He’s projected to make $1 million in arbitration, so he won’t cost a lot. He was much more effective out of the bullpen considering he’s basically a two-pitch pitcher.  Even with Funkhouser being let go, we have still have to get rid of someone since he’s technically not on the 40-man roster. We’ll go with Josh Lester here.

He’s been a minor league journeyman is entire career. It was nice to see him a get a cup of coffee with the big league club this year, but he’s not at all a part of the future here. Next!

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