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.

Melton will start Thursday's game in Cleveland, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Each of Melton's last 10 appearances have come in relief, though he did throw three innings as recently as Sept. 13. The rookie right-hander will be pitching on four days' rest and should be capable of going a few innings for the Tigers, if needed. Keider Montero should be available for bulk out of the bullpen, though it's unclear whether the Tigers intend to use him.

Melton (3-2) allowed two runs on two hits across 1.2 innings of relief to take the loss Thursday against the Guardians. He walked one and struck out one.

EDGE Analysis

Melton relieved starter Tarik Skubal, who left after six innings with the game tied 1-1, and promptly allowed two runs to take the loss. This was the rookie's first loss in a relief appearance, as his other loss came in his MLB debut back on July 23, when he allowed six runs in five innings as a starter. As a reliever, Melton now has a 2.66 ERA across 23.2 innings in 11 outings, and he's struck out 17 batters. He should maintain a key role in Detroit's bullpen given his ability to provide length.

Melton tossed three scoreless innings of relief in Tuesday's 7-6 extra-inning loss to the Athletics. He allowed a hit and struck out one.

EDGE Analysis

Melton has been a positive addition to the Detroit bullpen as a rookie. Across five appearances and 10.2 innings, he's posted a 1.69 ERA and 0.75 WHIP. Melton has also made three starts for the Tigers. His first one was a struggle, as he allowed six runs over five innings, but the 24-year-old allowed no runs across 12 innings in his other two starts. While the long-relief role decreases his fantasy value, Melton has become a valuable pitcher for Detroit, and he'd get a boost if he were to re-enter the rotation at some point.

Melton collected his first hold of the season while allowing one earned run on two hits and one walk over 1.1 innings of relief in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Royals.

EDGE Analysis

After earning his third win of the season while tossing five scoreless frames against the White Sox in an Aug. 13 start, Melton has since shifted back to the bullpen. Melton will likely fill a flexible relief role for Detroit for the time being, but after tossing 12 shutout innings between his last two starts, he should rank as the top option to join the rotation if a spot opens up at some point over the final five weeks of the season.

Melton (3-1) picked up the win in Wednesday's 1-0 victory over the White Sox, allowing just one hit over five scoreless innings. He struck out six without walking a batter.

EDGE Analysis

Making his first big-league start since July 28, the rookie right-hander retired the first 12 batters he faced before Luis Robert doubled to lead off the fifth inning, but Melton made sure he would advance no further. Despite being on a limited pitch count, Melton lasted long enough to qualify for the win, firing an efficient 56 pitches (43 strikes). The Tigers don't have a vacancy in their rotation, so this was likely just a spot start to buy the team's regular starters some extra rest. Melton will head back to a long-relief role with a 2.82 ERRA, 0.85 WHIP and 21:4 K:BB over his first 22.1 MLB innings.

Melton will start Wednesday's game against the White Sox in Chicago, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Melton was knocked around in his first major-league start July 23 in Pittsburgh but has yielded just one run with an 8:2 K:BB over 12.1 innings covering one start and two relief appearances since then. The righty hasn't made a start in more than two weeks and worked 3.1 innings while tossing 46 pitches in his most recent relief appearance Friday against the Angels. Melton likely won't be asked to handle a full starter's workload against the White Sox and may not reach the five innings he would need to qualify for a win.

Melton is likely to work as the bulk pitcher for the Tigers in Wednesday's game against the White Sox, Tony Paul of The Detroit News reports.

EDGE Analysis

The Tigers are building in an extra rest day for all five members of their rotation this week, so Melton will be tasked with covering most of the innings Wednesday in what could be a bullpen day. One of the Tigers' top pitching prospects, Melton has had a breakout season in the minors and has been excellent for Detroit after a blowup outing in his big-league debut July 23. In his last three appearances, Melton has a 0.73 ERA, 0.73 WHIP, eight strikeouts and two wins in 12.1 innings. Melton last logged 3.1 innings in a relief appearance Friday, so he should be able to offer the Tigers a decent amount of length in his return to the bump.