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<\/p>\nThe Detroit Tigers have signed right-handed reliever Trey Wingenter, who has pitched three innings between the majors and minors since 2019, to a minor league contract and invited him to MLB spring training.<\/p>\n
The 28-year-old winger underwent Tommy John surgery in July 2020.<\/p>\n
He pitched three innings in the Arizona Complex League in the 2021 season as part of his rehabilitation from elbow surgery, then missed the entire 2022 season due to a back injury.<\/p>\n
New dimension:<\/strong>New dimension should boost Tigers spirit: ‘You just want to be rewarded’<\/p>\n Jeff Seidel:<\/strong>It’s Time for the Tigers to Move the Comerica Park Fence! But There’s a Bigger Story<\/p>\n The 6-foot-7 pitcher has appeared on the mound in 73 relief appearances in two seasons of his MLB career. In his 2018-19 with the San Diego Padres, he averaged 5.0 walks per nine innings and he had 12.7 strikeouts, with 39 walks in 70 innings and a 5.14 ERA with 99 strikeouts.<\/p>\n Winter’s recovery continued with a six-game showcase against Leones del Escogido in the Dominican Winter League. He posted a 1.69 ERA with 6 walks and 6 strikeouts in 5\u2153 innings.<\/p>\n\n Another reliever:<\/strong>Tigers sign veteran lefty Chasen Shreve to minor league contract<\/p>\n In the 2019 season, the winger pitched 51 innings and ranked in the 97th percentile with a swing-and-miss rate of 36.3%, in the 91st percentile with a strikeout rate of 33.0%, and in the 7th percentile with a walk rate of 12.8%. He also ranked in the 96th percentile for extra-time, which is a product of his height, but ranked in the 25th percentile for average fastball spin rate.<\/p>\n\n The winger posted a 33.1% strikeout rate and a 13.0% walk rate in his two-year MLB career. He admitted too many walks and suffered injuries that have hampered his entire professional career.<\/p>\n His arsenal consists of two pitches, a four-seam fastball and a slider. He prides himself on throwing these offerings to both right-handed and left-handed hitters, but they are better suited to left-handers in terms of all-around performance.<\/p>\n Before elbow surgery, the winger’s fastball averaged 95.8 mph.<\/p>\n The Padres did not bid for Wingenter in November 2021, and the Cincinnati Reds signed him to a minor league deal ahead of the 2022 campaign. He pitched two innings for the Reds in spring training, but was shut down in late March due to his elbow pain.<\/p>\n\n A bulging disc in his back forced the winger to miss the entire 2022 season.<\/p>\n Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter.<\/em>@ Evan Petzold<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n![\"Off-roster](\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2022\/03\/20\/PCIN\/30fa31ca-4442-4b6b-a436-93394b43ddbd-031922_REDS_0179.jpg?width=660&height=440&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp\")
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