SEATTLE — The Detroit Tigers have set their 26-man roster for the ALDS in the 2025 MLB playoffs against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park.
The big news: Third baseman Colt Keith is active after recovering from right rib cage inflammation.
The Tigers and Mariners are scheduled to play Game 1 of the ALDS at 8:38 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, so the rosters for the best-of-five series had to be finalized by 1 p.m. before Saturday’s game.
The Tigers are carrying 14 position players and 12 pitchers. Teams are limited to 13 pitchers among the 26 players, but there’s no cap on position players.
The roster can change before every series in the playoffs.
Tigers playoff roster vs Mariners
Here is the Tigers’ 26-man postseason roster for the ALDS against the Mariners:
For the 14 position players, the Tigers added Keith and removed outfielder Justyn-Henry Malloy. For the 12 pitchers, the Tigers added right-handed reliever Brenan Hanifee and removed right-handed reliever Paul Sewald.
Keith, 24, hasn’t played for the Tigers since Sept. 18, when he suffered right rib cage inflammation — he described the injury as an intercostal strain — on a swing, forcing him to exit the game after the second inning.
The Tigers cleared Keith for the ALDS after he completed live batting practice, along with running and fielding drills, during Friday’s workout at T-Mobile Park.
Keith hit .256 with 13 home runs, 48 walks and 102 strikeouts in 137 games in the regular season. He spent time at third base, second base and first base on defense, but he has settled in as the Tigers’ primary third baseman.
Hanifee, 27, logged a 3.00 ERA with 14 walks and 40 strikeouts across 60 innings in 54 games in the regular season. He dominates right-handed hitters but struggles against left-handed hitters, which is why the Tigers didn’t put him on their roster for the AL wild card.
The Mariners have seven right-handed hitters among their 14 position players for the ALDS, whereas the Cleveland Guardians had just four right-handed hitters among their 15 position players for the AL wild card.
Hanifee is a better matchup against the Mariners, considering righties hit .220 with a .549 OPS against him, whereas lefties hit .373 with a .995 OPS.
The Tigers could’ve swapped out either Sewald or right-hander Keider Montero, but Montero could be needed for multiple innings of Game 1 of the ALDS, while Sewald was treated as the last man in the bullpen throughout the AL wild card, making him an easy cut.
For the position player removed, the Tigers didn’t need all three right-handed hitters used primarily against left-handed pitchers — Malloy, Jahmai Jones and Andy Ibáñez — since the Mariners have just two lefties among their 12 pitchers, both relievers. The Tigers opted to drop Malloy, keeping Jones and Ibáñez.
The winner of the Tigers and Mariners will advance to play the Toronto Blue Jays or New York Yankees in a best-of-seven ALCS, beginning Sunday, Oct. 12.
For Saturday’s game, Troy Melton will start Game 1 against Mariners right-hander George Kirby. Melton has never faced the Mariners, while Kirby owns a 7.48 ERA in six starts against the Tigers, who have hit .331 with a .995 OPS in those matchups.
Left-hander Tarik Skubal is set to start Sunday in Game 2 for the Tigers, opposed by Mariners right-hander Luis Castillo.
Mariners without ace pitcher
Seattle left off 2025 All-Star starting pitcher Bryan Woo from its ALDS roster against the Tigers due to injury.
Woo, 25, was 15-7 with a 2.94 ERA this season. He last pitched in a game Sept. 19 due to a pectoral muscle injury.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him@EvanPetzold.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers playoff roster set for ALDS vs Seattle Mariners: Colt Keith active
Reporting by Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
