The Tigers re-signed the right-hander Brendan White to a minor league deal, according to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. White, who was non-tendered by Detroit last month, receives a non-roster invitation to Spring Training as part of the deal and will earn $765K at the senior level.
White, 26, debuted in the Tiger organization as a 26th-round pick in the 2019 draft. After making his pro debut shortly after being drafted, White did not pitch during the canceled major league season in 2020 but returned to the mound in 2021 for the club’s High-A team. In 26 appearances (18 starts) at the level, White posted a solid 4.17 ERA in 101 1/3 innings of work with a 23.9% strikeout rate against a 6% walk rate. Despite those strong results, White was moved to the bullpen when he reached Double-A the following year. That change in role has paid off handsomely as he has dominated batters to the tune of a 2.67 ERA in 67 1/3 innings of work. His walk rate has held at 6.3%, but his strikeout rate has increased to 27.1% in the new role.
That not only earned him a promotion to Triple-A Toledo in 2023, but also opened the door for White to make his big league debut. The right-hander split his time between the majors and Triple-A in 2023 and totaled 77 2/3 career innings between the two levels. At Triple-A, White posted an excellent 30.9% strikeout rate while walking 6.8% of opponents despite a 4.14 ERA. In the majors, White struggled to a 5.09 ERA (86 ERA+) despite excellent peripherals. He struck out 24.9% of his opponents against an 8.5% walk rate. On top of that, White also floated an impressive 51.9% groundball rate in the majors.
The right-hander’s solid peripherals looked like they might earn him a spot in the Tigers’ bullpen mix for the 2024 season, but elbow inflammation kept him out of the conference for most of 2024. He pitched just 7 1/3 innings last year. in four minors before being placed on the 60-day IL in the majors back in August. Following White’s losing season, the Tigers elected to assign him and subsequently non-tendered him last month. That made him a free agent eligible to sign with any of the league’s 30 organizations, but he will eventually return to Detroit on an optional deal and try to return to the majors.
The first step in that process is counting being healthy, a box Petzold reports has been checked. He notes that the right-hander underwent a procedure to address a right radial nerve injury back in August and was back throwing on the mound the following month, which allowed him to participate in the regular season pitching program. Assuming he stays healthy going forward, it’s not hard to imagine White returning to the Tigers’ roster sometime in 2025, and possibly even in time for Opening Day 2025.
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