70 Tyler Alexander RP

Alexander has a 3.00 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and six strikeouts through nine Grapefruit League innings.

Alexander has looked good this spring, and the lefty will definitely have a spot on the 26-man roster coming out of camp. The bigger question is what exactly his role will look like. Alexander has the flexibility to work as a starter and a reliever, and he did a little of both for the Tigers last season when he registered a 3.96 ERA across 36.1 innings. For now, he looks like more of a long reliever, but he could find himself in the rotation if other pitchers struggle or deal with injuries.

Alexander will start for the Tigers in their first Grapefruit League game Sunday, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Alexander is one of a handful of pitchers competing for a spot in the back of Detroit's rotation. The lefty made headlines last year when he set a MLB record with nine consecutive strikeouts in a game, and he finished the year with a solid 3.96 ERA across 14 games (two starts). The Tigers may continue to use him in more of a swing role, but Alexander is capable of decent numbers if he gets an extended look in the rotation.

Alexander (2-2) allowed a run on three hits across two innings to take the loss Friday against Cleveland. He walked two and struck out one.

Alexander followed starter Michael Fulmer, who tossed three scoreless frames, and the former allowed the game's first run in his second inning of work. That was enough to saddle Alexander with the loss as Cleveland prevailed 1-0. The lefty now has a 4.01 ERA and will continue to work as a long reliever out of the Detroit bullpen, though he's capable of making a spot start if needed.

Alexander worked behind starter Jordan Zimmermann in the Tigers' 6-3 win over the Cardinals in the second game of Thursday's doubleheader. He tossed 1.2 innings and gave up two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out two.

Alexander's previous appearance Sept. 4 had come in a starting role, but he shifted back to the bullpen with Zimmermann's return from a forearm injury providing Detroit with another healthy rotation arm. However, since Zimmermann had been sidelined all season before being activated Thursday, he was pulled after three innings (42 pitches), which allowed Alexander to piggyback him. Detroit should have a fairly normal schedule for the rest of the season with no more doubleheaders currently on tap, so Alexander could have fewer opportunities to work multiple innings.

Alexander allowed one run on seven hits over four innings in a no-decision against the Twins in the second game of Friday's doubleheader. He struck out four and did not issue a walk.

The lefty did his best to quiet the Twins' offense, though he was limited to 59 pitches in the spot start and would not have earned the win even if the Tigers' bullpen hadn't squandered a late lead. Alexander made history earlier this season, tying the AL record for the most consecutive outs via strikeout by a reliever (nine), but his overall numbers are just OK and the swingman/long-relief role works against him in a big way from a fantasy standpoint.

Alexander will start Game 2 of Friday's doubleheader against the Twins, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

The 26-year-old moved back to the bullpen in mid-August after a brief stint in the rotation, but he'll return to the mound for a spot start in Friday's doubleheader. Alexander has covered three-plus innings during each of his last three outings and averaged about 60 pitches, so he should be able to provide some decent length for the Tigers, though he may have trouble qualifying for a potential victory.

Alexander will pitch out of the bullpen going forward but could be called upon to pitch in a multi-inning role following the debuts of Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize on Tuesday and Wednesday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Alexander has recorded anywhere between one and 11 outs in his six appearances thus far this season, with only one outing coming as a start. The arrivals of Skubal and Mize push him further down the rotation depth chart, though neither pitcher is ready for a true starter's workload just yet, so Alexander's ability to provide length remains valuable.

Alexander will be the Tigers' primary pitcher Sunday, following opener Michael Fulmer, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

In a flurry of moves following Ivan Nova's (triceps) trip to the injured list Saturday, Alexander will be the Tigers' primary pitcher following a few innings of work by Fulmer. Alexander was originally scheduled to start Monday, so now the Tigers have some decisions to make as to who they would like to take the mound Monday and Tuesday against the White Sox. A lot of people are speculating top pitching prospect Casey Mize will be called up, although nothing has been made official yet.

Alexander (1-1) allowed five earned runs across 3.2 innings to take the loss Tuesday against the White Sox. He gave up four hits and three walks while striking out two.

Alexander struck out 10 batters, including an American League record nine in a row, in a relief appearance that spanned 3.2 innings back on Aug. 2, but the lefty was unable to recapture that magic in his first start of 2020. He was tagged for two home runs and saw his ERA rise from 1.17 to 4.76. Alexander will likely stick in the rotation for now, but Daniel Norris looms as an option to claim a spot at some point, as does top prospect Casey Mize.

Alexander will be a member of the Tigers' rotation going forward, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Alexander certainly earned the opportunity after striking out nine batters in a row (and 10 batters total) in a relief appearance Sunday. Eight of his MLB appearances thus far in his career have come as a starter, with nine coming in relief. He's allowed a .356 wOBA as a starter compared to a .287 mark out of the bullpen, though the gap between his 4.54 ERA as a starter and his 4.12 ERA as a reliever isn't particularly large.

Alexander struck out 10 over 3.2 no-hit innings of long relief Sunday in the Tigers' 4-3 loss to the Reds in the first game of a doubleheader. He didn't factor into the decision in the seven-inning contest and allowed two baserunners, one via a walk and the other via a hit by pitch.

After opening pitcher Rony Garcia covered the first two innings, Alexander took over and proceeded to turn in one of the most dominant performances by a relief pitcher in MLB history. He tied an American League record by recording nine consecutive outs via strikeout, and his 10 punchouts were the most by a reliever since Randy Johnson whiffed 16 as a member of the Diamondbacks in July 2001. Heading into the weekend, Alexander had been hopeful to get a look in the Detroit rotation, and he may get his wish after this dazzling outing.

Alexander (1-0) pitched two scoreless innings of relief and picked up the win Tuesday against the Royals. He allowed two hits and struck out two.

Alexander is no longer being considered for a piggyback tandem with Michael Fulmer, but that didn't stop the lefty from securing the win as the second pitcher of the game Tuesday for the Tigers. Despite working in a more traditional bullpen role, Alexander should still be able to give Detroit multiple innings of relief when he pitches, which should allow him to vulture a few wins here and there the rest of the season.

Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire said Sunday that he expects Alexander to fill a more traditional bullpen role this season, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

During summer camp, Gardenhire floated the possibility of using Alexander and Michael Fulmer as part of a piggyback tandem for the fourth spot in the rotation while the latter eases back from March 2019 Tommy John surgery, but that plan has seemingly been scrapped. Alexander worked 1.2 innings (22 pitches) in Saturday's 6-4 win over the Reds, and while he should be available Monday when Fulmer serves as the Tigers' opening pitcher against the Royals, the lefty likely won't be tasked with the bulk-relief role. Instead, Beau Burrows and Kyle Funkhouser may be better candidates to handle the majority of the innings behind Fulmer.

Alexander could start the season working in a tandem with Michael Fulmer, who would serve as the team's opener, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Nothing is set in stone at this point, but manager Ron Gardenhire did mention the idea of using Fulmer as an opener in his first year back from Tommy John surgery. The lefty Alexander can work multiple innings and would make a natural choice to pair with the righty Fulmer. Alexander made 13 appearances (eight starts) for the Tigers in 2019 and turned in a 4.86 ERA and 1.40 WHIP across 53.2 innings.

Alexander could fill the Tigers' fifth rotation spot with Daniel Norris on the COVID-19 injured list and likely to miss the start of the season, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports.

With Norris away from the team, the Tigers have an open rotation spot, at least temporarily. Michael Fulmer (elbow) seems poised to start games at some point, though the club could ease him into action in a relief role out of the gates with the righty returning from a lengthy absence due to Tommy John surgery. Shao-Ching Chiang is another option after making 26 starts for Triple-A Columbus last season. If Alexander is able to join the rotation, it will likely be a brief stay, especially with prospects Casey Mize and Matt Manning in the wings as well. Alexander figures to spend most of 2020 in more of a long-relief role, limiting his fantasy appeal.

Alexander will likely serve as a long reliever and possible spot starter for the Tigers when the MLB season is able to resume, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Eight of Alexander's 13 appearances for the Tigers last season came as a starter, so he has the ability to work multiple innings in a swing role. With MLB teams likely looking at a compacted schedule whenever the regular season is able to start, players like Alexander figure to be more valuable than usual, as there could be more doubleheaders and fewer days off compared to past seasons, which would put a strain on bullpens.

Alexander is competing for one of the Tigers' final bullpen spots to begin the season, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Alexander is battling fellow lefties Nick Ramirez and Hector Santiago for a role. The former turned in a 4.86 ERA and 1.40 WHIP across 53.2 innings last year for the Tigers, working primarily as a starter. His ability to start when needed could help him earn the spot, though he could also begin the season with Triple-A Toledo as rotation depth.

Alexander pitched five innings of two-run ball and took a no-decision in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against the White Sox. He allowed seven hits and two walks, while striking out four.

Alexander was probably lucky to only give up two runs with all the traffic on the bases, but he limited the damage by allowing just one extra-base hit. The lefty finishes his season with a 4.86 ERA and 47 strikeouts across 53.2 innings at the big-league level. After splitting the year between Triple-A and the majors, Alexander will head into 2020 as rotation depth for the Tigers who once again could find himself shuttling back and forth between Toledo and Detroit.

Alexander will start Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader against the White Sox, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Alexander was initially slated to toe the rubber for Friday's nightcap, but both games were ultimately postponed due to rain. As a result, his final outing of the year will come Saturday evening.

Alexander won't start the afternoon portion of Friday's doubleheader against the White Sox as the game is threatened by rain, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

The Tigers didn't want Alexander's final outing of the season to be cut short due to rain. If the game happens at all, it will be a bullpen game for Detroit, with Matt Hall pitching first. It's not clear when Alexander will pitch again, but it seems as though he's expected to do so at some point.