The Tigers announced Friday that Melton (elbow) has started his throwing program, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

EDGE Analysis

Melton was diagnosed with a right elbow strain early in camp and was placed on the 60-day injured list last week. The right-hander will be sidelined until at least late May, but it's encouraging that he's now able to start throwing again. Melton will provide rotation depth behind Tarik Skubal, Framber Valdez, Jack Flaherty, Justin Verlander and Casey Mize.

The Tigers placed Melton (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Tuesday, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The 25-year-old was diagnosed with a right elbow strain early in camp and has yet to resume throwing, so the Tigers elected to move him to the 60-day IL to free up space on the 40-man roster for the contract of Enmanuel De Jesus. Melton's return timeline won't gain much clarity until he's able to restart a throwing program, but he'll be eligible to be reinstated in late May.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Friday that Melton (elbow) remains limited to plyometric exercises, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

EDGE Analysis

Melton is in the second week of a projected 1-2 week shutdown period after he was diagnosed with a right elbow strain. The young hurler did not appear in any games before getting hurt, so he will need some time to be built back up after he's cleared to throw. Melton has already been ruled out for the beginning of the season, but there's no word yet on a specific timeline for his return.

Melton has a right elbow strain and will not be ready for the start of the season, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

EDGE Analysis

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said that Melton will be shut down for "a week or two" before being ramped back up. The young right-hander has yet to pitch in a game this spring and will need to be built back up from scratch once he does resume a throwing program. Melton was unlikely to crack the Tigers' rotation even before the injury and is now looking at a stint on the injured list.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Wednesday that Melton has yet to make a Grapefruit League appearance due to general right arm soreness, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

EDGE Analysis

Hinch said the club is "playing it pretty conservative" and will get Melton "checked out" before a more concrete update on his condition is revealed. Melton was already likely on the outside looking in for a spot in Detroit's rotation following the team's signings of Framber Valdez and Justin Verlander, and the injury could be a knockout blow to his chances of making the Opening Day roster even if it's not a long-term issue.

The Tigers added Framber Valdez to the top of their rotation Wednesday, but Melton figures to stick in the No. 5 spot for now with Reese Olson (shoulder) uncertain to be ready for the start of the season, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

After Detroit's splashy signing, the rotation figures to be led by Tarik Skubal, Valdez, Casey Mize and Jack Flaherty. Olson would likely be the No. 5 starter if fully healthy, but he is recovering from a right shoulder strain and last pitched in an MLB game in July, so the Tigers figure to be cautious with the righty early in the year. That could open the door for Melton, who impressed as a rookie in 2025 with a 2.76 ERA and 1.01 WHIP across 45.2 innings while splitting time between the rotation and bullpen.

Melton is likely to enter spring training in a strong position to earn Detroit's final rotation spot, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

This echoes what Detroit's front office said at the end of last season, and an Opening Day rotation spot would certainly be warranted after Melton posted a 2.76 ERA and 1.01 WHIP across 45.2 innings as a rookie in 2025. The 25-year-old only made four starts last year, with his other 12 appearances coming in relief, so he'll likely need to stretch out some in spring training and show that he's capable of a larger workload. If Melton does slot into the rotation, he'll likely be behind Tarik Skubal, Casey Mize, Jack Flaherty and Reese Olson, but any chance to start would give the former a boost in fantasy value.

Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris and manager A.J. Hinch said at their end-of-the-season press conference Monday that Melton will be a starting pitcher next season, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

EDGE Analysis

Melton bounced back-and-forth between the rotation and bullpen for the Tigers in 2025 both in the regular and postseason and was impressive in both roles, collecting a 2.76 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 36:15 K:BB over 45.2 regular-season frames. The 24-year-old has been a starting pitcher throughout the minors and held a 2.99 ERA and 101:20 K:BB across 75.1 innings between Double-A Erie and Triple-A Toledo this season. Melton is currently projected to open the 2026 campaign in the Tigers' rotation.

Melton allowed one run on two hits and one walk while striking out four over four innings in a no-decision against the Mariners on Saturday in Game 1 of the American League Division Series.

EDGE Analysis

With his top three starters all unavailable for Game 1, manager A.J. Hinch turned to Melton to head up a bullpen game. The right-hander was efficient with his 57 pitches, at one point retiring seven batters in a row before serving up a solo homer to Julio Rodriguez to lead off the bottom of the fourth inning. Seven relievers followed Melton, including Keider Montero, who earned the save in extras and thus set the Tigers up extremely well with Tarik Skubal slated to start Game 2.

Melton didn't factor into the decision Thursday against the Guardians, allowing one run on two hits and two walks while striking out one over 3.2 innings.

EDGE Analysis

Making his first start since Aug. 13, the right-hander needed 49 pitches to record 11 outs, with his lone blemish coming in the second inning on an RBI double from CJ Kayfus. Melton worked a clean first frame and otherwise kept Cleveland in check, but Detroit most likely had no intention of him working deep into the contest. The 24-year-old now owns a 2.76 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 36:15 K:BB in 45.2 innings.