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• Tigers' Kenta Maeda: Role looks unclear for 2025

  11D ago • By RotoWire

  Maeda may get another shot at a rotation spot this year, per Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic, though Detroit's addition of Jack Flaherty could push the former into the bullpen. Maeda was brought over to Detroit before last season to start games, but he struggled mightily in his first year with the team, posting an ugly 6.09 ERA across 29 appearances (17 starts). The veteran righty did fare a bit better as a reliever, posting a 4.44 ERA out of the bullpen. Maeda stood to potentially get another chance at starting in 2025, though with Jack Flaherty joining the team Sunday, the rotation suddenly looks a bit more crowded. Flaherty, Tarik Skubal, Reese Olson and veteran newcomer Alex Cobb should all be locked into rotation spots. That leaves Maeda competing with Jackson Jobe and Casey Mize for the No. 5 starter spot with Keider Montero and Brant Hurter as longer-shot candidates. The one thing working in Maeda's favor is that he is owed $10 million this season and Detroit may look to give him one last shot as a starter.

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• Tigers' Kenta Maeda: Suffers loss in spot start

  09/30/2024 • By RotoWire

  Maeda (3-7) took the loss Sunday, allowing five runs on five hits and one walk over 4.2 innings against the White Sox. He struck out five. Maeda, who also hit a batter, struggled in his first start since early July, allowing five runs including a three-run homer by Lenyn Sosa. Maeda finished the regular season with 17 starts among 29 appearances, posting a career-worst 6.09 ERA and 1.38 WHIP, though he compiled a 3.86 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 8.8 K/9 through 42 innings out of the bullpen. As the Tigers prepare for a wild-card matchup with the Astros, Maeda will revert back to a relief role.

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• Tigers' Kenta Maeda: Starting Sunday vs. White Sox

  09/29/2024 • By RotoWire

  Maeda is starting Sunday against the White Sox. This will be Maeda's first start since July 9. He has been much better out of the bullpen (3.86 ERA, 1.07 WHIP) than in the rotation (7.26 ERA, 1.58 WHIP) this season, but the Tigers will look to him to eat some innings on the final day of the regular season.

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• Tigers' Kenta Maeda: Struggles in relief Saturday

  09/15/2024 • By RotoWire

  Maeda allowed three runs on two hits and a walk across two innings of relief in Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Orioles. He struck out two. Maeda was not charged with the loss, as Detroit already trailed 1-0 when he entered the game, but he didn't help his team's cause, either. The veteran righty has struggled all season, and his ERA now sits at an unsightly 6.07 after Saturday's poor performance. Maeda did come into the contest having logged 3.2 consecutive scoreless innings, but before that, he gave up eight runs (six earned) in his previous 9.1 innings. He's been much too volatile to trust in fantasy, and it remains to be seen what his role will be in 2025.

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• Tigers' Kenta Maeda: Pitches in middle relief Thursday

  09/06/2024 • By RotoWire

  Maeda struck out one over 1.2 perfect innings out of the bullpen in Thursday's 4-3 win over the Padres. Maeda hasn't made a start since July 9, but he's essentially maintained a rotation spot over the past two months while frequently operating as a bulk reliever. However, the right-hander was deployed in middle relief Thursday, with starter Casey Mize working five-plus innings before Maeda entered the game with one out and a runner on first base in the bottom the sixth inning. With Mize back in action following a recent stint on the 60-day injured list and with Brant Hurter and Ty Madden looking to have secured back-end spots in the Detroit rotation, Maeda appears poised to be used as a multi-inning option out of the bullpen.

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