Wentz tossed two scoreless innings in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros. He allowed a hit and two walks, while striking out five.
It's of course a small sample, but this was an encouraging outing for Wentz. The southpaw mostly served as a starter for the Tigers last year and struggled mightily, posting a 6.90 ERA and 1.68 WHIP across 105.2 innings. The team announced before spring training that Wentz will be focusing on a relief role in camp, with some hope that his stuff will play up out of the bullpen. It remains to be seen if Wentz can remain effective in this role, though it seems like Detroit will give him an opportunity to establish himself as a left-handed relief option heading into the regular season.