The Tigers have acquired left-handed pitcher Kolton Ingram from the Angels through the waiver process, as confirmed by both teams. In a corresponding move, Detroit has designated utility infielder Nick Maton for assignment. Additionally, the Tigers have announced that right-handed pitcher Devin Sweet has successfully cleared waivers and has been sent outright to Triple-A Toledo.
Ingram was initially chosen by the Tigers in the 37th round of the 2019 draft. However, his time with the organization was short-lived as he was released in July 2020 after only making 15 appearances in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League. He later signed a new contract with the Angels for the 2021 season and eventually earned a promotion to the major leagues in 2023. Throughout three separate stints with the big league club, he pitched for a total of 5 1/3 innings. Although his performance at the MLB level was disappointing, with an 8.44 ERA and a 5.21 SIERA, his stats between Double- and Triple-A were much more impressive. In 61 innings, he maintained a 2.95 ERA with a 30.2% strikeout rate and held opposing batters to a .189 batting average. He will now compete against left-handed pitcher Joey Wentz and right-handed pitchers Miguel Díaz, Beau Brieske, and Brendan White for a spot in the back end of Detroit’s bullpen. It is worth noting that Ingram has remaining option years, which could potentially work against him as both Díaz and Wentz have exhausted their options.
Stay tuned for more updates.