LAKELAND, Fla. — Detroit Tigers right-hander Casey Mize will be part of the starting rotation and Michael Fulmer will pitch out of the bullpen to open the season, manager AJ Hinch said on Friday.
Hinch also said that left-hander Derek Holland will make the team.
Mize was the No. 1 pick in the 2018 amateur draft. He made his big league debut last year and went 0-3 with a 6.99 ERA. His ERA this spring training is 8.36, but he struck out nine in four innings against Toronto on Thursday.
“We think Mize has continued to pitch better than his numbers indicated in the spring,” Hinch said. “Last night, I do think he proved to himself more than he needed to prove to us that working in the strike zone is much more advantageous to him than kind of dancing around the strike zone and trying to get his outs that way.”
Fulmer, the 2016 American League Rookie of the Year, made 10 starts last season but never pitched more than three innings after returning from Tommy John surgery. Hinch said he could start again at some point.
Holland signed a minor league deal with the Tigers in January, and Hinch said he has the versatility to be a short or long reliever.
When added to the 40-man roster, Holland would get a salary of $925,000 in the major leagues and $180,000 while in the minors. He would have the chance to earn $150,000 in performance bonuses for innings: $25,000 each for 50 and 75, and $50,000 apiece for 100 and 125.