Tigers re-sign right-hander Brendan White According to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press , this is a minor league deal. White, who was not tendered by Detroit last month, received a non-roster invite to major league spring training as part of the deal and will earn $765,000 while in the majors.
White, 26, joined the Tigers as a 26th-round pick in the 2019 draft. After making his pro debut shortly after the draft, White did not pitch during the canceled 2020 minor league season but returned to the mound in 2021 for the club’s High-A affiliate. In 26 games at that level (18 starts), White posted a solid enough 4.17 ERA in 101 1/3 innings with a strikeout rate of 23.9% and a walk rate of 6%. Despite these solid results, White was moved to the bullpen upon arriving at Double-A the following year. This change of role led to outstanding results, as he dominated opposing hitters with a 2.67 ERA in 67 1/3 innings. His walk rate held steady at 6.3 percent, but his strikeout rate rose to 27.1 percent in his new role.
Not only does it earn him a promotion to Triple-A Toledo in 2023, it also opens the door for White to make his major league debut. The right-hander split time between the majors and Triple-A in 2023, totaling 77 2/3 innings between the two levels. In Triple-A, White struck out 30.9% of the time and walked 6.8% of his opponents, despite having a mediocre 4.14 ERA. In the major leagues, despite having excellent outside conditions, White only had a 5.09 ERA (86+ ERA). He struck out 24.9% of his opponents with an 8.5% walk rate. On top of that, White also hit an impressive 51.9 percent of his ground balls in the majors.
The right-hander’s strong perimeter seemed likely to earn him a spot in the Tigers’ bullpen mix for the 2024 season, but elbow inflammation kept him off the mound for nearly all of 2024. /3 innings Back in August, we entered the 60-day IL schedule of the majors. After White lost the season, the Tigers elected to designate him for assignment and then withheld tendering from him last month. That makes him a free agent, eligible to sign with any of the league’s 30 organizations, but he will eventually return to Detroit on a non-roster deal and try to return to the major leagues.
The first step in the process is getting healthy, and Petzold reports that box has already been checked. He noted that the right-hander underwent surgery in August to treat a right radial nerve injury and returned to the mound the next month, allowing him to participate in a normal offseason throwing program. Assuming he stays healthy going forward, it’s not hard to imagine White returning to the Tigers roster at some point in 2025, possibly even before Opening Day in 2025.
