Ty

Madden

Madden was drilled in the forearm by a 107.9 mph line drive during Friday’s contest against the Jays. Fortunately, he didn’t suffer any structural damage, but after playing catch on Saturday he was still experiencing enough soreness that the Tigers opted to sit him down for a couple of weeks. Will Vest was activated from the injured list in a corresponding move on Sunday.

The decision to option Hanifee coincides with Ty Madden avoiding the injured list, for now, after exiting Friday’s start against the Blue Jays after being struck by a comebacker. It’s not a lock that Madden will make his next start, but it sounds like there’s optimism he’s going to be fine after being able to throw on Saturday without any issues.

He’ll head for further evaluation and likely X-rays to rule out any potential fractures. Expect the Tigers to provide an update on the right-hander’s status after the game.

Madden also struck out five and walked two while posting a 29 percent CSW and a 60 percent strike rate overall. Madden was really efficient in two-strike counts, thanks to a slider and cutter combination that each had a 17 percent swinging strike rate to right-handers. Interestingly, his slider was over two mph slower than his last outing, with almost three inches more drop. The pitch was really effective today, so perhaps some tweaks are happening here. All of the damage against Madden came in one inning when he allowed a single, a walk, and a three-run home run. We would still be really cautious with him next week against the Blue Jays.

Madden gave up four hits, walked none and struck out seven. It was an impressive 2026 debut for Madden. The 26-year-old right-hander was called up Monday and could be a factor in the Tigers’ pitching plan going forward given the injuries the team is currently dealing with. Madden came in as the bulk pitcher after Tyler Holton started and threw five scoreless innings. He will likely be used in similar fashion against the Royals this weekend.

Madden gets the call to replace back-to-back Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal on Detroit’s roster. No pressure. The 26-year-old figures to operate in long relief out of the bullpen after posting a 4.71 ERA across 21 innings for Triple-A Toledo this season. He hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since 2024.

Neither right-hander had a realistic shot at cracking the team’s Opening Day roster, so there are no surprises here. Madden, 26, will open the season in the rotation at Triple-A Toledo. Both hurlers should have an opportunity to pitch for the Tigers at some point during the 2026 campaign.

Madden was facing mostly regulars, too, and he made quick work of them, throwing just 21 pitches today. The 26-year-old Madden missed all of 2025 with a shoulder strain suffered in spring training, and he’s well down the Tigers’ rotation depth chart at the moment. He’d have more of a chance of contributing as a reliever, but the Tigers will probably have him start games in Triple-A initially.

Nothing has changed in Madden’s outlook, this was merely done as a procedural move to free up a spot on the team’s 40-man roster for the addition of Brewer Hicklen on Friday. Madden is still in the process of working his way back from a right shoulder strain that he suffered early in spring camp.

The hard-throwing right-hander sustained the shoulder injury during the first few weeks of spring camp. There’s still no clear timeline on exactly how long he’ll be shelved for, but expect the Tigers to exercise caution. It’s also unclear if he’ll join the rotation at Triple-A Toledo once he is ready to go, or if the Tigers plan to deploy him out of the bullpen in a multi-inning role.