Tigers' Arizona Fall League nods might provide preview of big 2026 roster moves

The Tigers' organization is in dominant shape from Single-A all the way up to the majors this season. Every team has on overall winning record, and the High-A West Michigan Whitecaps are even gunning for the best record of any minor league team since the Modesto Nuts' .706 record in 1994.

The three prospects at the very top of Detroit's pipeline are Kevin McGonigle (No. 2 overall), Max Clark (No. 9), and Josue Briceño (No. 31); they were promoted to Double-A Erie in early July. Briceño's struggled a bit more to find his footing, but McGonigle and Clark have been absolutely crushing since their promotions.

Although the Tigers have closed the door on bringing any of them up to the majors this season, there's seems to be a non-zero chance that at least McGonigle will be competing for an Opening Day roster spot in spring training next year.

At the very least, Detroit wants to get as many looks at him as they can. On Wednesday, McGonigle was announced as one of seven Tigers prospects who will participate in the Arizona Fall League this season, alongside No. 9 prospect Max Anderson and viral knuckleballer Kenny Serwa.

Kevin McGonigle, Kenny Serwa, more Tigers prospects headed to Arizona Fall League

McGonigle is hitting .244 with a .878 OPS in 44 games for the SeaWolves so far. He came down to earth from a ridiculous hitting tear in August, but he became Erie's OPS leader in a hurry and has stayed that way despite the slight regression. He's already tied for fourth in home runs despite appearing in far fewer games than most of the others with more.

Anderson is another name to watch out for in spring training next year, and there was some speculation that he would make it up to the majors after the trade deadline or during September roster expansions. If the Tigers re-sign Gleyber Torres in the offseason, there may not be any room for Anderson in a starting role, but he could replace Justyn-Henry Malloy or Trey Sweeney as a bench player next year.

Serwa was signed to a minor-league deal after going viral on Twitter (with some help from Pitching Ninja) for his 88.5 MPH knuckleballs. He was promoted to Double-A in June but has struggled a bit, posting a 3.95 ERA in 82 innings.

There's a lot to look forward to with the Tigers' organization in such great shape, and McGonigle, Serwa, and Anderson's performance in the AFL could have big implications for next year's major league roster.