Tigers Select De Jesus from Toledo as Melton Heads to Injured List
Detroit selected LHP Enmanuel De Jesus from Toledo on March 10, posting a 0.00 ERA across 6.1 spring innings while Troy Melton lands on the 60-day IL with elbow inflammation.
The Detroit Tigers selected the contract of left-hander Enmanuel De Jesus from Triple-A Toledo on March 10, a roster move made necessary by the placement of right-hander Troy Melton on the 60-day injured list with elbow inflammation.
De Jesus, a 29-year-old Valencia, Venezuela native, arrives at the big-league level having made a compelling case in two spring starts: a 0.00 ERA across 6.1 innings, seven strikeouts, and a 0.79 WHIP. The numbers drew direct praise from manager A.J. Hinch. "He's been really good," Hinch said before a spring training game against the Boston Red Sox. "Given how we see he can fit in multiple roles, there's a potential for him to make our team. We're going to give ourselves every opportunity to evaluate him."
The path that brought De Jesus to this moment is anything but conventional. Detroit signed the 6-foot-3 left-hander to a minor-league contract on December 15, 2025, following two seasons as a starter in the KBO League in Korea. Before the Korea stint, his MLB résumé amounted to two relief appearances for the Miami Marlins in September 2023, where he posted an 11.37 ERA with four walks and five strikeouts across 6⅓ innings. His Triple-A work that same year with Jacksonville was more encouraging: a 4.78 ERA over 84⅔ innings in 17 games, though 51 walks in those 16 starts represented a persistent control concern.
Across 178 minor-league appearances, De Jesus carries a 4.01 ERA, a 49-45 record, and 696 strikeouts over 749.1 innings, a body of work that suggests durability and swing-and-miss stuff even if command has been inconsistent.
Whether the selection translates into an Opening Day roster spot remains an open question. Detroit appears to have seven relievers already locked into its eight-man bullpen: right-handers Kenley Jansen, Kyle Finnegan, Will Vest, Drew Anderson, and Brenan Hanifee, plus left-handers Tyler Holton and Brant Hurter. De Jesus, who retains all three minor-league options, would be competing for the remaining spot. If he doesn't break camp with the club, he projects to slot into Toledo's starting rotation.
"We'll see how it works out at the end of camp," Hinch said.
Opening Day is March 26 against the San Diego Padres.
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