89 Joey Wentz SP

Wentz (elbow) had his contract selected to the Tigers' 40-man roster Friday.

The 23-year-old underwent Tommy John surgery in March, but Detroit still opted to protect him from the Rule 5 draft by adding him to the 40-man roster before Friday's deadline. Wentz is unlikely to be available before the second half of 2021, so he figures to be moved to the 60-day injured list at some point.

Wentz (elbow) is beginning his rehab from Tommy John surgery at the Tigers' spring training facility in Florida, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Wentz underwent the procedure in mid-March, and he is now one of just three Detroit players currently still in Lakeland, joining Michael Fulmer (elbow) and Shao-Ching Chiang. The 22-year-old will of course ease into activity, but he should be able to continue his rehab work in relative isolation while MLB play is suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. Wentz will still likely be out until the second half of the 2021 season.

The Tigers announced that Wentz (elbow) underwent successful Tommy John surgery in Florida on Wednesday.

Wentz was shut down early in camp with a forearm strain, but he had recently been cleared to resume throwing before Major League Baseball suspended spring training last week. The lefty apparently wasn't quite feeling right in his workouts, prompting the Tigers to send him in for follow-up tests that revealed he was dealing with a torn UCL. Detroit estimates that Wentz require 14-to-16 months to recover from the injury, meaning the 22-year-old will likely be sidelined until the second half of the 2021 season.

Tigers general manager Al Avila said Wednesday that an MRI cleared Wentz of any structural damage to his left forearm, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports. The 22-year-old will be shut down for 10 days before being re-evaluated.

Wentz was sent in for the MRI after complaining of forearm soreness while he tossed a live batting practice session Tuesday. While the youngster appears to have avoided a major setback, the shutdown period could make it difficult for him to gain clearance to pitch in any games before the Tigers' Grapefruit League slate comes to a close. Though he's attending camp with the big club, Wentz is expected to report to Double-A Erie or Triple-A Toledo once spring training wraps up.

Wentz ended his live batting practice session early Monday after experiencing forearm soreness, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Wentz downplayed the severity of the issue, saying it was just fatigue and that he wasn't worried about it. Despite the southpaw's optimism, it's unclear whether Wentz will be forced to miss any extra time during spring training.

Wentz was traded from the Braves to the Tigers along with Travis Demeritte in exchange for Shane Greene, Robert Murray of The Athletic reports.

The 21-year-old lefty was the 40th overall pick in 2016, but his stock has slipped since then. He has a 4.72 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 100:45 K:BB in 103 innings at Double-A. It's possible that he could rebound with this change of scenery and develop into a back-end starter for the Tigers.

Wentz gave up one run on three hits and two walks over 5.2 innings for Double-A Mississippi on Sunday. He struck out eight.

It's been an up-and-down season for the 21-year-old lefty, as reflected in his 4.34 ERA and 1.30 WHIP, but something seems to have clicked for Wentz over his last four starts. He's posted a sparkling 1.03 ERA and 35:11 K:BB through 24.1 innings over that stretch, striking out at least eight batters in each start, and if he can maintain that kind of dominance he could get his feet wet at Triple-A before the year is through.

Wentz allowed a hit and a walk through seven scoreless innings while striking out five for Double-A Mississippi on Thursday.

The southpaw was perfect through six innings before finally walking a batter in the seventh. Wentz has had an erratic start to the year in his first look at Double-A, posting a 4.13 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 23:11 K:BB through 24 innings, but this performance gives a glimpse of his upside. Still only 21 years old, Atlanta has no reason to rush Wentz up the ladder, but if his development continues he could put himself in consideration for a big-league debut in 2020.

Wentz (undisclosed) allowed one run on three hits and a walk across 2.1 innings in a start for High-A Florida on June 13.

Wentz had been sidelined since May 11 with an undisclosed injury prior to rejoining the Fire Frogs' rotation last week. The young southpaw now has a 3.77 ERA through eight starts this season.

Wentz (undisclosed) has not pitched since May 11.

He got pounded in his last outing, almost a month ago, giving up five runs on two hits and six walks in just 1.2 innings, so it seems like he probably suffered an injury during that outing. The nature of the injury and timetable for his return are unclear. He has a 3.77 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 23:19 K:BB in 28.2 innings for High-A Florida.

Wentz tossed five scoreless innings Thursday for High-A Florida in a 3-2 loss to St. Lucie, scattering three hits and striking out six.

Occasionally overlooked in a Braves system flush with high-upside pitching prospects, Wentz is doing his best to stand out from the crowd through the early part of 2018, posting a 0.64 ERA, 0.71 WHIP and 15:2 K:BB through his first 14 innings at High-A. The 20-year-old left-hander spent all of last year with Low-A Rome despite his success, and the organization has no reason to rush him up the ladder, but if he continues dominating the Florida State League then a midseason promotion to Double-A could be in the cards.

Wentz will begin the season with High-A Florida, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports.

The 20-year-old dominated at Low-A last season, posting a 2.60 ERA and 152:46 K:BB in 131.2 innings, so it's no surprise to see him take the next step up the ladder. The Braves' No. 9 fantasy prospect has a lot of arms ahead of him in the pipeline, but if Wentz starts to add velocity to his low-90s fastball -- as he was projected to do when he was drafted 40th overall in 2017 -- the left-hander could still make a quick ascent to the majors.

Wentz allowed two runs on three hits and a walk over seven innings while striking out eight for Low-A Rome in Sunday's win over Asheville.

Both runs scored on solo homers, but Wentz was otherwise impressive once again, putting the finishing touches on a dominant July that saw the 19-year-old lefty post a 1.03 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 44:10 K:BB in 35 innings over six starts. In an extremely deep Braves farm system, Wentz is only ranked 14th among the team's fantasy prospects (and ninth among their pitchers), but his electric fastball and developing offspeed offerings still mark him as a potential mid-rotation arm in the majors.

Wentz tossed six scoreless innings for Low-A Rome on Saturday in a win over Columbia, allowing only one hit and one walk while striking out nine.

It was the 19-year-old's best start of the season so far, but Wentz has been impressive all year and now boasts a 3.03 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 80:23 K:BB in 71.1 innings. The Braves' No. 8 prospect won't be rushed through the system, especially considering just how stacked the organization is when it comes to high-upside arms, but Sally League hitters appear to be overmatched against the lefty, so a promotion to High-A before the end of the year could be in the cards.

Wentz, 19, has a 3.30 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 64:20 K:BB in 60 innings for Low-A Rome.

His command/control could still use plenty of refinement, but his pure stuff is excellent. At 6-foot-5, 210 pounds, the athletic southpaw boasts most of the physical advantages that one typically looks for in a high-end pitching prospect in the lower levels. His upside rivals that of any of the Braves' high-end pitching prospects.