Tigers Prospect Update: 2 pitchers promoted (including knuckleballer), Bryce Rainer

The Detroit Tigers promoted pitching prospect Troy Melton from Double-A Erie to Triple-A Toledo earlier this week. Despite earning loss in his first Triple-A start, the right-hander pitched well in his debut.

Melton, the Tigers' No. 10 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, pitched 4 2/3 innings Thursday in his first taste of Triple-A action against Columbus, allowing six hits and two earned runs, striking out seven and walking none.

Melton has shown considerable improvement this season after giving up 19 home runs in 23 starts for a 5.10 ERA at Double-A Erie in 2024. In his second season with the SeaWolves, he gave up just one homer in 39 innings over his 10 starts, bringing his ERA down to 3.23 in 2025. If he continues to trend in the right direction at Triple-A, the 24-year-old Melton could potentially be in the mix for a late-season call-up for Detroit in case of injuries to the Major League pitching staff.

Tigers Prospect Update: Viral knuckleballer Kenny Serwa promoted to Double-A Erie

In addition to promoting Melton, the Tigers also elevated intriguing knuckleballer Kenny Serwa from High-A West Michigan to Double-A Erie on Thursday. The 27-year-old earned the win in his first Double-A start, allowing four earned runs on four hits and a pair of walks with four strikeouts in six innings of work and getting some run support from the Erie bats for a 12-4 victory over Richmond.

Serwa signed a minor league deal with the Tigers in January, just seven days after a video of his bullpen session went viral on social media. The right-hander throws one of the hardest knuckleballs in baseball history, sitting around 87 mph and touching 88.5 mph. He also has a second knuckleball pitch that sits in the high 70s to low 80s, a 94mph four-seam fastball, a low-90s sinker, and a low-80s curve.

Before signing with the Tigers, Serwa had a seven-year collegiate career before going on to pitch for the Chicago Dogs in the independent American Association in 2024, where he posted a 4.22 ERA with 23 walks and 103 strikeouts across 119 1/3 innings in 20 games (19 starts).

But it hasn't been all good news for the Tigers. As we wrote about on Friday, top prospect Bryce Rainer will need shoulder surgery after suffering an injury earlier in the week. He will miss the remainder of the 2025 season.

The decision was made after seeking multiple medical opinions, and the Tigers expect him to be fully ready for spring training in 2026. It's just a shame because of how well he was playing during his first professional season.

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