Detroit Tigers: 3 prospects who should be on the Opening Day roster in 2024

The Detroit Tigers need to upgrade the roster from the outside this offseason. That much is for sure. However, they also have some players in the organization that deserve a chance to be on the team next season.

Scott Harris said he doesn't want to block prospects from getting their shot, so we should see these guys with the Tigers sooner rather than later.

Two of the players that we will talk about today will be pretty obvious. Fans have been clamoring for these players to come up for a while now. Hopefully, they will finally get their shot to start 2024.

Here's 3 Tigers prospects that deserve to be on the 2024 Opening Day roster.

Colt Keith

I mean, duh. Keith has been big league ready for a long time now. He probably could have started 2023 on the big league roster and done okay. He's that good.

The bat is more than ready. He got into a bit of a slump in both Double-A and Triple-A this year, but bounced back from both. He's shown the ability to make necessary adjustments, which is a very promising sign for his career.

The only major question mark for him is his defense. Where is he going to play? Third base? Second base? The outfield? That's nowhere near set in stone. He hasn't been very good no matter where he's played.

That being said, the bat is too good to ignore. The Tigers need offense in the worst way, and he should be able to provide that. The only reason he shouldn't be on the roster next year is if he's hurt.

Justyn-Henry Malloy

Another one that's kind of a "duh," but slightly less so. Malloy got off to a hot start in Triple-A this year before hitting a snap in May. From June onward, he was pretty steady.

Offensively, the plate discipline is going to play no matter what. He had a .417 OBP in Toledo this year. The power really came on as well. The biggest question mark with the bat was his ability to hit lefties. He really struggled against southpaws to begin the year.

Thankfully, he figured it out a bit, and while he only hit .232 against LHP this season, his OPS was .873. It was kind of strange to see reverse splits as extreme as the ones he had, but they definitely evened out a bit.

Much like Keith, defense is a major question mark as well — possibly even more so. He's struggled mightily wherever he's played. Right field has been his best position, and even that wasn't pretty. The Tigers are going to have to figure something out with him, or he may just have to be a DH.

Malloy's ability to get on base will serve him well in the big leagues. If he can keep up the power we saw this year, he could be a very nice addition to the Tigers lineup. There's really no reason he shouldn't be on the Opening Day roster next season.