Troy Melton Returns to Start Game 2 for Tigers
troy melton is back on the Tigers’ roster and will start Game 2 of their doubleheader against the Orioles after Detroit activated him from the 60-day injured list. The move gives the club a rotation option on a day when it needed one, and it cost Connor Seabold his spot on the roster.
Melton Returns To Detroit
The Tigers cleared room by designating right-hander Connor Seabold for assignment and activating Melton, their right-hander who had been out since Spring Training with elbow inflammation. Detroit had initially planned to use him as a reliever or swingman this season, but multiple injuries within the rotation pushed him into starting duty.
“I am glad Melton is back. Hopefully he stays healthy!!!”
He was not just filling space. In 2025, Melton made his MLB debut and posted a 2.76 ERA with a 20K% strikeout rate and an 8.3BB% walk rate over his first 45 2/3 big league innings. He started four of his 16 regular-season games that season, giving the Tigers a recent sample of how he handled both short bursts and longer outings.
Seabold Loses His Spot
Seabold’s removal came after he signed a split deal with the Tigers just before the start of the season and then missed a little under three weeks recovering from ankle inflammation. When healthy this season, he logged a 3.45 ERA with a 20.3% strikeout rate and a 7.2% walk rate over 15 2/3 innings, which is a sharper line than his 7.28 ERA across 134 2/3 career major league innings.
The decision also followed Brant Hurter’s placement on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to May 23, because of lumbar spine inflammation. Detroit called up right-hander Ricky Vanasco from Triple-A in that corresponding move, another sign that the Tigers are managing the same rotation strain from multiple directions at once.
Hurter, Vanasco, And The Open Spot
Hurter has given Detroit useful relief innings, with a 2.84 ERA over 25 1/3 innings this season, plus a 17.8% strikeout rate, an 11.9% walk rate, a 60.3% groundball rate, and a.203 BABIP. Even with that production, the rotation injuries have forced the Tigers to keep reshuffling arms, and Melton’s return shifts him from depth piece to immediate Game 2 answer.
He had been expected to work behind the starters, not replace one, but the Tigers needed a live arm for the doubleheader and chose the pitcher who had already shown he could miss bats in the majors. Melton’s first start back now doubles as a test of whether Detroit can get through this stretch without burning through more of its bullpen.
