FORT MYERS, FL – The Detroit Tigers placed right-hander Troy Melton on the 60-day injured list Tuesday, March 10, to create room for left-hander Enmanuel De Jesus to join the 40-man roster.
The roster move sets the timetable for Melton’s potential return.
Melton won’t be eligible to play in MLB games for the Tigers until May 25, meaning his minimum absence will be roughly 90 days. The 25-year-old has been sidelined since late February with a right elbow injury, which has been diagnosed as elbow inflammation.
Melton has not suffered a setback in the early stages of his rehab program, primarily consisting of throwing weighted plyo balls. That is a positive sign as he hopes to avoid surgery with a clean recovery process, though he has a long way to go.
He still hasn’t restarted his throwing program and it’s unclear when he will do so.
Once Melton restarts his throwing program, he needs 20-30 days to build his volume and intensity in catch play, bullpens and live batting practice. After that, he is expected to need another 30 days of a rehab assignment to replicate spring training.
Based on that timeline, the Tigers placed Melton on the 60-day injured list after needing to add De Jesus to the 40-man roster. Had the Tigers not purchased De Jesus’ minor-league contract, he would’ve left the Tigers to sign with a team in Asia.
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In 2025, Melton registered a 2.76 ERA with 15 walks and 36 strikeouts across 45⅔ innings in 16 games (four starts) for the Tigers after making his MLB debut in late July. He also had a 3.23 ERA over 39 innings for Double-A Erie and a 2.72 ERA over 36⅓ innings for Triple-A Toledo.
He hasn’t pitched since Feb. 20 in a live batting practice session.
The Tigers were preparing for Melton to work as a starter in Triple-A or as a reliever with the Tigers, with a starting role in Triple-A viewed as the most likely outcome.
After Melton’s injury, the Tigers had to protect their starter depth by putting right-hander Keider Montero in the Triple-A rotation, eliminating his chances of earning a spot in the Tigers’ bullpen.
Thayron Liranzo injury
Catcher/first baseman Thayron Liranzo has been sidelined with a right oblique strain. The 22-year-old had already been optioned to the minor leagues and won’t be on the MLB injured list.
He will miss the start of the season in his return to Double-A Erie.
Liranzo ranks as the Tigers’ No. 7 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.
In 2025, Liranzo hit .206 with 11 home runs, 47 walks and 125 strikeouts across 88 games at the Double-A level. The Tigers acquired Liranzo (and shortstop Trey Sweeney) from the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2024 Jack Flaherty trade.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Troy Melton lands on Tigers’ 60-day injured list, out until May 25
Reporting by Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
