3 Tigers starting pitchers who will begin the 2024 season in Triple-A and 2 who won't

Detroit Tigers starting rotation could undergo changes ahead of 2024.

The Detroit Tigers have a lot of work to do ahead of the 2024 campaign. While they made some new additions and brought in some replacements for the rotation, there is still some work to be done. The Tigers will have some familiar faces near the top of the rotation, but they will also have some decisions to make.

For the Detroit Tigers, it will be a bit of a change. But familiar faces will have to head to the Triple-A Toledo squad the way things stand. Some of their new acquisitions will likely squeeze players out of the rotation. It's not that all of these youngsters are bound to head back to the minors, but some changes will be made.

At some point this spring, the landscape of the pitching staff will start to take shape, and a couple of familiar faces may be headed to Triple-A, and a couple will solidify their spots. The plus side of things for the Tigers is that they are starting to build some depth with these new additions.

There may be a lot of room to improve things in Detroit, but one of the positives of these new faces is that the rotation is looking deeper than it has been in past years. The Tigers just have to try and stack quality starts together from their usual suspects and these new faces.

But, for some of the younger players on the pitching staff, it could create some competition. However, competition is healthy. Building some competition this spring and going into the season is healthy.

Detroit Tigers RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long will start in Triple-A in 2024.

The Detroit Tigers are going to have to make some decisions. One of those decisions will come with the promotion of pitching prospects. For Sawyer Gipson-Long, there may be better times for a promotion. The 26-year-old made his big-league debut in 2023 but may have to stay "in waiting" for 2024.

At least to start the season, Gipson-Long will be in the minors. The Detroit Tigers do not have the room to bring on another right-hander. While Gipson-Long deserves a big-league look and will likely have a chance in 2024, the right-hander is unlikely to end up in Detroit, barring injuries this spring.

Gipson-Long is likely destined to start in Triple-A with the Toledo Mud Hens and anchor their rotation for this summer. He's coming off of 2023, where he made six starts and two relief appearances at the Triple-A level, pitching to a 5.45 ERA over 34.2 innings pitched. He had a 1.36 WHIP and 14 walks with 50 strikeouts.

Surely, the numbers do not pop off the page at you, but stuff-wise, Gipson-Long has shown flashes of potential to be a big-leaguer. Detroit will mix him into the rotation if there are any injuries. But the team will likely send him to Triple-A to kick off the year.

The Tigers likely just do not have the space to bring Gipson-Long north with them. However, given that he has only thrown in four big-league games, there's a lot of room for him to keep developing. When the Tigers kick off 2024, expect Gipson-Long to be in Triple-A Toledo.

Detroit Tigers RHP Reese Olson will lock down a big-league spot in 2024.

The Detroit Tigers will be reliant on Reese Olson again in 2024. He made his big-league debut last summer and found a way to be effective in the team's rotation. He was exceptional as a rookie and showed why he will be an asset to the team's starting rotation moving forward.

Olson is a crucial addition for the Detroit Tigers, and this year, he needs to really lock down a rotation spot. As a right-hander out of Georgia with outlier stuff on his slider, it's hard not to love what Olson offers. His 2023 stats were solid, but Olson still has room to improve his craft.

Over 21 appearances, 18 of them being starts, he pitched to a 3.99 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP. He accumulated 103.2 innings of work, walking just 33 opposing hitters with 103 strikeouts to his credit. His 5-7 record could stand to improve, but that's not entirely his fault. Hopefully, the offense can provide better performances for him on the mound.

However, the point is that Olson will be a big league in 2024, starting the year with Detroit. He will aim to lock down a role and be dominant for the Tigers as they mix him in as a starter once again. He will try and hone in on his stuff and come out as an effective right-handed pitcher for Detroit.

I'm high on Olson and expecting him to prove he can be every bit of a 3 or a 4 in a big-league rotation this year. Maybe it's me being overexcited about a player, but Olson's stuff, paired with a nice break-in performance in 2023, it's easy to dream of the possibilities.

Detroit Tigers RHP Wilmer Flores will begin 2024 in Triple-A

The Detroit Tigers have placed a lot of stake in Wilmer Flores, a former Arizona Western College right-hander who was signed as an undrafted free agent. The former JuCo bandit has made some strides in his development, catapulting him into the top echelon of Tigers prospects.

He's viewed as one of the better arms within the franchise by most, at least on the prospect side of things. The 22-year-old right-hander hopes to keep plugging along on his road to Detroit to join the Tigers one day soon. The issue is the logjam of pitchers, which is a good thing really, may keep him in the minors.

Flores still has some developing to do, having never pitched in Triple-A before. But, after Spring Training, Flores has a chance to make the jump to Triple-A after finishing the season with Double-A Erie in 2023. His summer spanned between High-A West Michigan and Double-A Erie.

Flores made just three starts with High-A West Michigan before being bumped to Double-A Erie, where he made 18 starts, accumulating 89.0 innings overall over his 21 appearances within the organization. He managed a 4.65 ERA, a 1.32 WHIP, and had 33 walks to 90 strikeouts between the two affiliates.

While Flores has some work to do, he will get the chance to do so with the team's Triple-A affiliate, knocking down another door on his road to Detroit. Flores has to prove himself at the next level but needs to continue to make strides and develop his stuff further. Some time with the Mud Hens will allow them to do so.

Detroit selected him for the 40-man roster, so he is a step closer to being in Detroit, as he was added to the 40-man roster to avoid any Rule 5 poaching. But, in 2024, expect Flores to start in Triple-A with the Mud Hens.

Detroit Tigers LHP Joey Wentz will start 2024 in the big leagues.

While the Detroit Tigers have made some moves, bulking things up with their rotation, they will still find room for left-hander Joey Wentz. The 26-year-old has not exactly been a huge success for the Tigers, but there's still a chance he will end up with the Tigers' pitching staff come Opening Day 2024.

Even though the Detroit Tigers have continued to trot out Joey Wentz to start games the past few seasons, his future may be in the team's bullpen. Time will tell, but Wentz could soon become a swing-man for this pitching staff. He could be a sixth-day starter and long-relief role pitcher for Detroit.

Since the Tigers are reportedly toying around with the idea of a six-man starting rotation, it leaves some more room for the Tigers to mix in pitchers. Wentz will likely not get demoted to the minors, but his role with the big-league club could end up being a lot different in 2024.

Last year, Wentz made 19 starts and had six appearances working out of the bullpen, accumulating 105.2 innings pitched. He managed a 6.90 ERA and a 1.69 WHIP. He walked 47 hitters and struck out 98 along the way. Certainly, these numbers do not bode well for 2024 unless Wentz comes out and finds a way to be much better for Detroit.

The Tigers will rely on Wentz again in 2024; the question for him is merely going to be in what capacity and role. A new role as a reliever may emerge with starts becoming scarcer amongst the pitching staff following the new additions this off-season.