Tigers drop spring training roster amid Tarik Skubal chaos: Here's what to catch up on

Detroit Tigers finally gave fans something concrete to chew on this week, quietly dropping their spring training roster while the now-complete Tarik Skubal arbitration saga continued to dominate the headlines. And while the business side of baseball has felt exhausting, the baseball side — the part that actually happens on the field — suddenly feels very real again.

Pitchers and catchers report to Lakeland on Feb. 11. The full squad follows Feb. 15. Grapefruit League games begin Feb. 21. The wait is almost over. And perhaps the most exciting part of all? The kids are coming.

The Tigers invited 23 non-roster players to big-league camp, and the top of that list reads like a roadmap for the next era of the franchise.

First, there's Kevin McGonigle. At just 21, he is already the consensus No. 2 prospect in all of baseball, and his 2025 season did nothing to cool the hype. He torched High-A pitching (.372 average, 1.110 OPS), handled a Double-A promotion with ease, and now heads to camp as someone who feels close to cracking the Major League roster. He’s expected to open in Triple-A Toledo, but barring injury or a logjam, his Detroit debut feels more like a “when” than an “if.”

Then, there's Max Clark, the third overall pick in 2023 who continued to look like exactly that kind of talent last year. An .835 OPS, 14 homers, and 19 steals across two levels doesn’t scream finished product, but it screams strong foundation. Clark won’t be rushed, yet his presence in camp reinforces how central he is to Detroit’s long-term plan.

Finally, there's Josue Briceño, whose star rose quickly after a monster Arizona Fall League showing and carried right into his 2025 breakout at High-A West Michigan. He’s still raw defensively, but the bat is loud enough that the Tigers clearly want him absorbing big-league reps early.

Tigers announce 2026 spring training roster, including 23 non-roster invites

Beyond the headliners, Detroit also brought in younger names like John Peck, Ben Malgeri, and Troy Watson — players unlikely to make the Opening Day roster, but exactly the type you want soaking in major-league routines.

Then there’s the veteran pile. This camp is loaded with experienced arms on minor-league deals: Phil Bickford, Scott Effross, Tanner Rainey, Burch Smith, and others all represent low-risk bullpen lottery tickets. Someone almost always pops from this group. Someone always surprises.

One sleeper worth circling is Matt Seelinger, a former independent-league arm who has quietly shoved at both Erie and Toledo since signing in 2024. He’s the definition of a nontraditional path, and those guys have a habit of forcing decisions if they keep getting outs.

The Tigers also left themselves flexibility, as they are wont to do. If they need to clear a 40-man roster spot once camp opens, they can create one by placing Jackson Jobe on the 60-day injured list. Teh former top prospect is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and isn’t expected to pitch until late 2026, if at all – and while his absence looms, it also quietly solves a roster crunch.

Detroit's spring training roster reveals several truths about the team. Namely, the rotation – which now includes Framber Valdez – still looks like a strength. The position-player core is young, athletic, and increasingly homegrown. And the next wave — McGonigle, Clark, Briceño — is no longer hypothetical.

Spring training won’t resolve the financial tension hanging over the franchise or answer long-term questions about Skubal’s future in Detroit. But it will give fans something tangible again: real players, real games, and the first look at what’s next.