MLB.com predicted Ty Madden promotion before Tigers debut was successful

The Tigers' current lineup feels very much like a preview of what we'll be seeing on Opening Day in 2025. Jace Jung, Trey Sweeney, and Dillon Dingler are all up; Spencer Torkelson, Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter, and Parker Meadows are back; and Colt Keith is making his extension look like the best decision the Tigers have made in years despite a bad start to the season.

The lineup is mostly settled, but then there's the question of pitching. Tarik Skubal and Keider Montero were still the only starters the Tigers had up until Monday. The relief core has come through big time to work through bullpen game after bullpen game, but this simply isn't a sustainable situation for Detroit. Casey Mize is stuck on the IL until September after being moved to the 60-day, and Reese Olson still hasn't made it to a rehab assignment.

MLB Pipeline had a proposal, though, and the Tigers responded fairly quickly. They named No. 16 prospect Ty Madden as "a potential impact callup" for the Tigers. Madden was promoted to Triple-A earlier this season and hasn't been great there, which might be what's kept the Tigers from calling him up already.

But the Tigers overlooked that. They called up Madden on Monday and he had a successful start against the Chicago White Sox.

Tigers' No. 16 prospect Ty Madden received hype from MLB before promotion

MLB Pipeline did address that Madden's struggled this year in the minors (7.97 ERA over 22 starts), but also noted that he's Rule 5 eligible this December, which means that, soon enough, the Tigers are going to have to decide whether or not they want to add him to the 40-man roster to protect him or risk him getting scooped up by another team at Winter Meetings.

Jung and Sweeney were both doing well in Triple-A by the time they were called up, but the Tigers can also afford to get a little experimental with their roster right now. They're not playing for a title, so why not give a couple of top prospects a chance to put on a showcase in the majors?

On Monday, Madden pitched five innings and allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits and three walks. Not bad for his MLB debut, and the Tigers eventually won 6-3. The Tigers will have to see how he performs against better opponents (the White Sox are by far the worst team in the league and might be the worst team in history), but it appears the swings they are taking with their prospects are showing the results needed to build toward a successful 2025 season.