Alexander (lat) signed a one-year contract with the Rays on Tuesday, avoiding arbitration, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Alexander was claimed off waivers from the Tigers last week. He finished the 2023 season on the 60-day injured list because of a partial lat tear but struck out 44 batters and issued only five walks over 44 innings when healthy.
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Rays' Tyler Alexander: Claimed by Rays
Rotowire
The Rays claimed Alexander (lat) off waivers from the Tigers on Friday, Tricia Whitaker of Bally Sports Sun reports.
Alexander missed much of the 2023 campaign with a tear in his left lat, although he's been throwing for a couple months and should be ready for spring training. The left-hander holds a career 4.38 ERA and 273:74 K:BB over 341.1 career major-league innings. He could operate as a swingman in Tampa Bay.
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Tigers' Tyler Alexander: Gets DFA'd
Rotowire
The Tigers designated Alexander (lat) for assignment Monday.
Before his season came to an end in July when he suffered a partial tear to his left lat, Alexander had enjoyed a solid season out of the Detroit bullpen. He pitched to a so-so 4.50 ERA, but most of Alexander's peripherals (3.66 xERA, 21.5 K-BB%) were encouraging. Alexander had advanced to throwing long toss in September, so he should be tracking toward a return to full health by spring training. Though he's no longer a member of Detroit's 40-man roster, the 29-year-old lefty could make for an appealing flyer for another organization via a waiver claim.
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Tigers' Tyler Alexander: Throwing on flat ground
Rotowire
Alexander (lat) has begun throwing on flat ground, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
Alexander has already been ruled out for the remainder of the season with a partial tear in his left lat, which he suffered back in early July. It's a good sign that he's throwing again, though, which should set him up to have a relatively normal offseason.
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Tigers' Tyler Alexander: No surgery needed
Rotowire
Alexander won't require surgery for the partial tear in his left lat and is expected to be ready for the start of spring training in 2024, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.
The 28-year-old will still miss the rest of the season while recovering from the injury, but the fact he won't require surgery is an encouraging development. According to Chris McCosky of The Detroit News, Alexander's rest-and-rehab program will start with being shut down from throwing for the next three months, but he should still have plenty of time to build his arm back up during the offseason.
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Tigers' Tyler Alexander: Lands on 60-day IL with lat strain
Rotowire
Alexander was placed on the 60-day injured list Tuesday with a left lat strain.
Alexander evidently suffered the injury during an appearance Sunday against the Rockies and he'll now be sidelined into September. He's expected to miss the remainder of the season, per Chris McCosky of The Detroit News. It's a blow to the Tigers' relief corps, as Alexander has pitched well with a 44:5 K:BB over 44 innings.
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Tigers' Tyler Alexander: Earns second win
Rotowire
Alexander (2-1) tossed two scoreless innings of relief to earn the win Monday against the Royals. He allowed one hit and one walk, while striking out four.
After a quality start from Reese Olson, Alexander worked through the seventh and eighth innings, scattering the two baserunners. It was the lefty's first win since May 3, though he's pitched fairly well lately, allowing just two earned runs over his last 13.2 innings. That's allowed Alexander to lower his ERA for the season to 4.66. He should stick in a long relief role for the Tigers, where he could vulture a few more wins, though fantasy impact may be hard to come by regularly.
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Tigers' Tyler Alexander: Covers two innings Saturday
Rotowire
Alexander pitched two scoreless innings of relief in Saturday's 2-0 loss to the Twins. He allowed a hit and two walks while striking out two.
Alexander has been serving some as an opener recently, though he worked as a more traditional long reliever Saturday, covering the last two innings of the game for the Tigers. Since allowing three runs in an outing May 26, the lefty has a 1.54 ERA over his past 11.2 innings, a span of five appearances. Alexander's season ERA now sits at 4.93, and he could continue whittling that down if he maintains his current form moving forward.
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Tigers' Tyler Alexander: Takes loss Tuesday
Rotowire
Alexander (1-1) allowed one run on one hit across three innings to take the loss Tuesday against the Phillies. He struck out three.
Kyle Schwarber led off the game with a home run and it ended up being the only run either team would score. That left Alexander with a tough-luck loss, as this was one of his better outings of the season and his longest since going 3.1 innings on Opening Day. The lefty still has a rough 6.00 ERA overall and will likely continue to serve as a long reliever or occasional opener for the Tigers, giving him limited fantasy value.
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Tigers' Tyler Alexander: Serving as opener Tuesday
Rotowire
Alexander will serve as the Tigers' opening pitcher for Tuesday's game against the Phillies, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
Alexander will eat up an inning or two before turning the game over to the bullpen. The Tigers have yet to announce who will serve as the primary pitcher, if anyone, though Garrett Hill was recalled from Triple-A Toledo on Sunday and could be a candidate for long relief.
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Tigers' Tyler Alexander: Vultures first win of year
Rotowire
Alexander (1-0) retired the lone batter he faced and earned the win in Game 1 of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Mets.
Alexander was the ultimate vulture in this one, as he only threw a single pitch but escaped as the pitcher of record in Detroit's 6-5 comeback victory. The lefty hasn't been much of a fantasy factor this season out of the bullpen with a 5.17 ERA across 15.2 innings and he's yet to make any spot starts after starting 32 times the last two years.
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Tigers' Tyler Alexander: Has another rough outing
Rotowire
Alexander, who allowed three runs across one inning in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals, has a 7.04 ERA this spring.
Alexander has been scored upon in only two of his five outings this spring, though he allowed three runs in each of those games, which has bloated his ERA. The lefty should still settle into a familiar swing role for the Tigers in 2023 after logging 101 innings last year. Alexander doesn't have a ton of fantasy value in relief, though he could be an occasional streamer if he makes some starts.
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Tigers' Tyler Alexander: Should fill bullpen role
Rotowire
Alexander is expected to primarily work in relief this season, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.
Alexander made 17 starts and 10 relief appearances in 2022, but he's likely to be much more of a bullpen option this year with Matthew Boyd and Spencer Turnbull back in the starting mix coming off injuries. Newcomer Michael Lorenzen also figures to slot into the rotation, along with Eduardo Rodriguez and Matt Manning. Alexander is a valuable lefty swingman for the Tigers, though his fantasy value will be limited in a relief role. He's always an option to start if a need arises, however.
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Tigers' Tyler Alexander: Avoids arbitration
Rotowire
Alexander agreed to a one-year, $1.875 million contract with the Tigers on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
Alexander has found his niche at the major-league level as a swingman, starting 42 games and pitching in relief in 53 others over the past four seasons. He turned in a 4.81 ERA and 1.32 WHIP over 101 innings in 2022 -- a step back from 2021, but still serviceable. The southpaw should be expected to get close to the century mark in terms of innings again in 2023.
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Tigers' Tyler Alexander: Settles for no-decision Wednesday
Rotowire
Alexander allowed four runs across 5.2 innings and did not factor into the decision in Wednesday's loss to the Mariners. He gave up seven hits and one walk, while striking out five.
Alexander finished his 2023 campaign with another mediocre outing, giving him a 4.81 ERA and 61 strikeouts across 101 innings. The lefty has shown some value as a long reliever in the past, though he didn't stand out in 17 starts this season. Alexander will likely head into 2023 in a similar swing role, and while he may have some fantasy value as an occasional spot starter, he doesn't seem like a regular option at this point
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Tigers' Tyler Alexander: Tagged for three runs
Rotowire
Alexander (4-11) took the loss to the Twins on Friday, allowing three runs on five hits while striking out six and walking four over five innings.
Alexander had a rough outing Friday, tossing 57 of 90 pitches for strikes and allowing nine baserunners. The hits and walks turned out to be Alexander's biggest downfall as all three runs he allowed came thanks to an RBI single, double and triple. Friday's appearance comes after back-to-back quality starts for the lefty, who saw his ERA rise to 4.72 after the outing.
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Tigers' Tyler Alexander: Strikes out five in no-decision
Rotowire
Alexander allowed a run on four hits and a walk while striking out five in six innings during Sunday's win over the White Sox. He didn't factor into the decision.
Although Alexander posted a second consecutive quality start Sunday, he was unable to pick up the win since the Tigers didn't generate any runs until the top of the seventh inning. However, it was encouraging to see the southpaw limit run production once again after he gave up 11 runs (10 earned) in 9.1 innings over his first two September starts. He tentatively lines up to make his next start at home against the Twins on Saturday.
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Tigers' Tyler Alexander: Cruises to win Monday
Rotowire
Alexander (4-10) tossed seven scoreless innings to earn the win Monday against the Orioles. He allowed two hits and two walks while striking out four.
The typically tame Detroit offense exploded for 11 runs, which helped Alexander cruise to his first win in nearly a month. The lefty had allowed 10 earned runs across 9.1 innings in his last two starts, so this effort was a bit unexpected. Alexander now has a 4.91 ERA across 84.1 innings this season. He'll look to build on this positive outing in his next scheduled start Sunday against the White Sox, though he's still hard to trust for fantasy purposes.
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Tigers' Tyler Alexander: Pushed to back of rotation
Rotowire
Alexander won't make a start this week while the Tigers temporarily move to a four-man rotation, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.
With an off day on the schedule Thursday, the Tigers will skip Alexander's turn before likely slotting him back into the rotation when a fifth starter is next needed Sept. 20 in Baltimore. In lieu of the start this week, Alexander will throw an extra side session to stay stretched out, and it's possible that he'll be available in long relief for this weekend's series with the White Sox if needed. The Tigers' decision to bypass Alexander's spot in the rotation this week comes after he allowed four earned runs across five innings in a losing effort Sunday in Kansas City. Alexander owns a 10.06 ERA and 1.82 WHIP in 17 innings over his last four starts.
Alexander (3-10) took the loss Sunday in Kansas City, allowing four runs on six hits, a walk and a hit batsman while striking out two in five innings.
The damage against Alexander could have been worse as he was the beneficiary of two unconventional double plays -- one on a sacrifice fly and the other after a strikeout. Three of the six hits allowed went for extra bases, including Michael Massey's fourth-inning solo homer. Alexander has struggled mightily in his last four starts, going 0-3 with a 10.06 ERA, 1.82 WHIP and seven homers allowed in 17 innings and raising his season ERA from 4.03 to 5.35. Should he continue to start for Detroit, his next outing will likely be next weekend against the White Sox.
