Maeda allowed three runs on four hits and a walk in an inning of relief during Friday's 7-4 win over the White Sox. He struck out one.
Maeda entered the contest in the eighth inning with the Tigers up 7-1, and he made it through his first frame unscathed. However, the righty struggled mightily in the ninth and was yanked without recording any outs. Maeda has only made two appearances so far this year, but he's allowed five runs already over three innings of work. It's an uninspiring start to his relief role, though he does have time to turn things around.
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Tigers' Kenta Maeda: Relief role on tap
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Manager A.J. Hinch announced Friday that Maeda (illness) will begin the season working out of the bullpen, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.
Maeda has been dealing with an illness this week, but there's been no indication it will affect his availability for the start of the season. The right-hander had a 19:1 K:BB across 12.2 innings during spring training, but he served up four home runs and eight earned runs overall. Maeda should serve as a long reliever and potential spot starter when the Tigers deal with rotation injuries.
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Tigers' Kenta Maeda: Scratched with illness
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Maeda won't pitch as scheduled in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies due to an illness, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
The veteran right-hander was set to pitch behind Tigers ace Tarik Skubal but will instead be unavailable due to a stomach ailment. Maeda is competing for the No. 5 spot in Detroit's rotation and should be back on the mound after taking a couple days to recover.
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Tigers' Kenta Maeda: Might be favorite for fifth spot
Rotowire
Maeda's $10 million contract "likely gives him an edge" to open the season as the Tigers' fifth starter, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.
Maeda had a disastrous first season in Detroit, finishing with a 6.09 ERA across 17 starts and 12 relief appearances. He has looked sharp this spring, showing an uptick in velocity while allowing three runs with a 9:1 K:BB over five innings. Casey Mize and Keider Montero look to be Maeda's chief competitors for the No. 5 spot, while Jackson Jobe remains the heavy favorite to be the fourth starter. Whoever wins the fifth spot in the rotation would, theoretically, be holding it down only until Alex Cobb (hip) is ready, although there's no timetable for Cobb's return.
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Tigers' Kenta Maeda: Effective in spring debut
Rotowire
Maeda tossed two scoreless innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies. He didn't allow a hit or a walk and struck out four.
Making his first spring training appearance, Maeda looked comfortable in a starting role, as he breezed through the first two innings of the game. The veteran righty has displayed increased velocity in camp, and that translated into four strikeouts among the six batters he retired. Maeda struggled mightily in 2024, posting a career-worst 6.09 ERA across 112.1 regular-season innings, but a bounceback campaign is possible in 2025. With Alex Cobb (hip) unlikely to be ready for the start of the season, Maeda may have a path to some starts in the early going.
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Tigers' Kenta Maeda: Throwing harder this spring
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Maeda was throwing 92 mph during a live batting practice session Tuesday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
It's up from the 90.8 mph he averaged with his four-seamer last season and significantly more velocity than he was showing during spring training last year. With Alex Cobb (hip) slated to begin the season on the injured list, Maeda has a chance to make the Tigers' rotation out of spring training. That said, after collecting a 6.09 ERA over 17 starts and 12 relief appearances last season, Maeda has a lot to prove this spring. He will start Detroit's Grapefruit League opener Saturday.
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Tigers' Kenta Maeda: Could be rotation fill-in
Rotowire
With Alex Cobb (hip) likely out for about a month, Maeda could be at least a temporary option to slide into the starting rotation, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.
Cobb's injury figures to prevent him from being able to ramp up properly for Opening Day, so the Tigers will have to fill his rotation spot for at least a turn or two. Detroit has Tarik Skubal, Reese Olson and Jack Flaherty locked in as starters, and the team could turn to the likes of Maeda, Jackson Jobe and Casey Mize to round things out. Maeda is a veteran option with plenty of MLB starts under his belt, so he could probably make the transition fairly quickly after pitching in relief to wrap up last season. The righty struggled in 2024, posting a career-worst 6.09 ERA, which ultimately prompted the move out of the rotation. If Maeda starts early in 2025, fantasy managers may want to take a wait-and-see approach given his rough performance a year ago.
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Tigers' Kenta Maeda: Role looks unclear for 2025
Rotowire
Maeda may get another shot at a rotation spot this year, per Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic, though Detroit's addition of Jack Flaherty could push the former into the bullpen.
Maeda was brought over to Detroit before last season to start games, but he struggled mightily in his first year with the team, posting an ugly 6.09 ERA across 29 appearances (17 starts). The veteran righty did fare a bit better as a reliever, posting a 4.44 ERA out of the bullpen. Maeda stood to potentially get another chance at starting in 2025, though with Jack Flaherty joining the team Sunday, the rotation suddenly looks a bit more crowded. Flaherty, Tarik Skubal, Reese Olson and veteran newcomer Alex Cobb should all be locked into rotation spots. That leaves Maeda competing with Jackson Jobe and Casey Mize for the No. 5 starter spot with Keider Montero and Brant Hurter as longer-shot candidates. The one thing working in Maeda's favor is that he is owed $10 million this season and Detroit may look to give him one last shot as a starter.
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Tigers' Kenta Maeda: Suffers loss in spot start
Rotowire
Maeda (3-7) took the loss Sunday, allowing five runs on five hits and one walk over 4.2 innings against the White Sox. He struck out five.
Maeda, who also hit a batter, struggled in his first start since early July, allowing five runs including a three-run homer by Lenyn Sosa. Maeda finished the regular season with 17 starts among 29 appearances, posting a career-worst 6.09 ERA and 1.38 WHIP, though he compiled a 3.86 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 8.8 K/9 through 42 innings out of the bullpen. As the Tigers prepare for a wild-card matchup with the Astros, Maeda will revert back to a relief role.
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Tigers' Kenta Maeda: Starting Sunday vs. White Sox
Rotowire
Maeda is starting Sunday against the White Sox.
This will be Maeda's first start since July 9. He has been much better out of the bullpen (3.86 ERA, 1.07 WHIP) than in the rotation (7.26 ERA, 1.58 WHIP) this season, but the Tigers will look to him to eat some innings on the final day of the regular season.
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Tigers' Kenta Maeda: Struggles in relief Saturday
Rotowire
Maeda allowed three runs on two hits and a walk across two innings of relief in Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Orioles. He struck out two.
Maeda was not charged with the loss, as Detroit already trailed 1-0 when he entered the game, but he didn't help his team's cause, either. The veteran righty has struggled all season, and his ERA now sits at an unsightly 6.07 after Saturday's poor performance. Maeda did come into the contest having logged 3.2 consecutive scoreless innings, but before that, he gave up eight runs (six earned) in his previous 9.1 innings. He's been much too volatile to trust in fantasy, and it remains to be seen what his role will be in 2025.
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Tigers' Kenta Maeda: Pitches in middle relief Thursday
Rotowire
Maeda struck out one over 1.2 perfect innings out of the bullpen in Thursday's 4-3 win over the Padres.
Maeda hasn't made a start since July 9, but he's essentially maintained a rotation spot over the past two months while frequently operating as a bulk reliever. However, the right-hander was deployed in middle relief Thursday, with starter Casey Mize working five-plus innings before Maeda entered the game with one out and a runner on first base in the bottom the sixth inning. With Mize back in action following a recent stint on the 60-day injured list and with Brant Hurter and Ty Madden looking to have secured back-end spots in the Detroit rotation, Maeda appears poised to be used as a multi-inning option out of the bullpen.
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Tigers' Kenta Maeda: Earns third win Wednesday
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Maeda (3-6) allowed two unearned runs on four hits across 4.1 innings of relief to earn the win in Wednesday's 3-2 victory over the Angels. He walked two and struck out five.
Maeda followed opener Mason Englert, who worked the first two innings of the game. Maeda mostly pitched well, with his only major blemish being a home run by Mickey Moniak in the sixth inning following a Trey Sweeney error. The veteran righty allowed six earned runs over five innings in his last appearance, and he has an ugly 6.14 ERA overall this season, so Wednesday's effort was a pleasant surprise. It will take more sustained success for fantasy managers to trust Maeda, however, and he remains a risky option despite the step in the right direction.
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Tigers' Kenta Maeda: Could work in bulk relief Wednesday
Rotowire
Maeda is expected to be used as a bulk reliever behind opening pitcher Mason Englert in Wednesday's game against the Angels, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
Maeda hasn't made a start since July 9, but he's essentially maintained a spot in the rotation since the All-Star break while working as a bulk reliever. He's turned in a 4.55 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 26:2 K:BB over 29.2 innings across his seven relief appearances, with his ERA inflated by a rough showing this past Thursday against the Cubs in which he coughed up six runs across five frames. After Wednesday's appearance, Maeda could move into more a flexible multi-inning role out of the bullpen with the Tigers having recently added Triple-A Toledo call-up Ty Madden to the rotation. Additionally, Casey Mize (hamstring) appears poised to return from the 60-day injured list this weekend to give the Tigers another rotation option.
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Tigers' Kenta Maeda: Rocked by Cubs
Rotowire
Maeda (2-6) took the loss Thursday against the Cubs, allowing six runs on nine hits and two walks across five innings. He struck out five.
Maeda was hit early and often while serving in bulk relief Thursday, allowing a grand slam to Miguel Amaya in the second frame and surrendering a pair of doubles later in the outing. Since the start of July, Maeda has stumbled to a 7.60 ERA with a 31:8 K:BB across 36 innings. Though he may follow an opener again, Maeda is tentatively scheduled to pitch against the Angels early next week.
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Tigers' Kenta Maeda: Allows one hit in bulk role
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Maeda didn't factor into the decision Thursday against Seattle, allowing just one hit and one walk over 5.2 scoreless innings. He struck out five.
Maeda's certainly shown improvement since he started working in bulk relief -- he's posted a 2.84 ERA across 19 innings in his last four appearances. Overall, the veteran right-hander is 2-5 with a 6.18 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 71:25 K:BB across 90.1 innings this year. Maeada's currently slated to start next week on the road versus the Cubs, though he could work behind an opener again due to his recent success.
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Tigers' Kenta Maeda: Decent showing as bulk reliever
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Maeda allowed two runs on four hits and struck out two without walking a batter over 4.2 innings of relief versus the Giants on Friday. He didn't factor in the decision in the Tigers' 3-2 loss.
Maeda continues to stretch out in anticipation of a return to the rotation -- he threw 72 pitches (46 strikes) Friday, up slightly from 69 pitches in his previous outing. The veteran right-hander had a decent performance but couldn't sustain a 2-0 lead, allowing a run to score on a sacrifice fly in both the seventh and eighth innings. Maeda is now at a 6.59 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 66:24 K:BB over 84.2 innings across 21 appearances (16 starts). He's projected to make his next appearance at home versus the Mariners, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him follow an opener at least one more time.
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Tigers' Kenta Maeda: Working way back into rotation
Rotowire
Maeda covered 3.2 innings out of the bullpen in Saturday's 6-5 win over the Royals in 11 innings. He gave up three earned runs on six hits and one walk while striking out four.
Maeda has now made each of his last four appearances out of the bullpen, submitting a 4.40 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 14:1 K:BB in 14.1 innings during that stretch. The Tigers shifted the veteran right-hander to a relief role after he struggled to a 7.26 ERA through 15 starts, but manager A.J. Hinch suggested Friday that Maeda will eventually rejoin the rotation, per Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. Maeda is essentially stretched out for a starter's workload at this point; he tossed 69 pitches behind opening pitcher Tyler Holton in Saturday's contest.
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Tigers' Kenta Maeda: Struggles continue in relief role
Rotowire
Maeda allowed three runs on three hits across two innings of relief in Saturday's 7-3 win over the Blue Jays. He struck out one.
Maeda was effective in his first relief appearance of the year when he tossed 3.2 scoreless innings in the final game before the All-Star break. However, his second appearance did not go as well, with a Vladimir Guerrero two-run home run accounting for a big chunk of the damage. Madea has struggled throughout his first season with the Tigers, as he's now sitting with a career-worst 7.07 ERA across 71.1 innings. It seems unlikely that the veteran will rejoin the rotation anytime soon, and his fantasy value remains low given his current role and ineffectiveness. However, Reese Olson (shoulder) did leave Saturday's start early, which could open up a spot at least in the short term if he's forced to miss any time.
Maeda came out of the bullpen and threw 3.2 shutout frames during Detroit's walk-off win over the Dodgers. He allowed one hit and struck out five batters.
For the first time this season, Maeda worked a bulk-relief role and the results looked great. He threw 34 of 55 pitches for strikes and generated 11 whiffs. He was crushed for 15 runs in just 6.1 innings over his previous two outings. Maeda will enter the second half without a clear role in Detroit. He's registered an unsightly 6.88 ERA and 55:23 K:BB through 69.1 frames.
