“I think Dylan has the talent to be an effective reliever in this game,” president of baseball operations Scott Harris said after Wednesday’s roster moves.
“For us right now, given the young player that we added to our 40-man [roster] to protect them from the Rule 5 [draft], and given the spring that a number of guys on our 40-man had, we had a tough choice.”
The Tigers set their 26-man Opening Day roster after Tuesday’s final game of spring training, but everything became official Wednesday – less than 30 hours before the Tigers’ first game of the 2026 season.
The final roster battles featured McGonigle, center fielder Parker Meadows and outfielder Wenceel Pérez for two position-player spots, with McGonigle and Meadows winning those jobs. On the pitching side, left-hander Brant Hurter, left-hander Enmanuel De Jesus and right-hander Brenan Hanifee competed for two bullpen spots, with Hurter and De Jesus securing them.
The Tigers optioned Pérez on Tuesday and Hanifee on Wednesday.
Three players were sent to the injured list: right-hander Sawyer Gipson-Long on the 15-day list with a left oblique strain, left-handed reliever Bailey Horn on the 15-day list as he continues his recovery from a left elbow arthroscopy and infielder Trey Sweeney on the 10-day list with a right shoulder strain.
All three placements are retroactive to Sunday, March 22.
That means Sweeney is eligible to be active for the Tigers on April 1, while Gipson-Long and Horn are eligible April 6 – though all three of them are expected to join Triple-A Toledo upon returning to full health.
The Tigers already have four players on the 60-day injured list: right-handed reliever Beau Brieske (left adductor strain), right-hander Jackson Jobe (right elbow surgery), right-hander Troy Melton (right elbow inflammation) and right-handed Reese Olson (right shoulder surgery).
Olson has been ruled out for the season, but the other three players on the 60-day injured list will be eligible to return May 25, with Jobe not expected to be ready until August or September. Players returning from the 60-day injured list must be added back onto the 40-man roster, which means corresponding roster moves will be required to activate them.
“It’s a significant injury,” manager A.J. Hinch said of Brieske’s adductor strain. “When you start to put a calendar together on what that’s going to look like, based on the severity of the injury, that’s how timelines get created – and the 60-day became a factor.”
Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal on picture day during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026.
This time, someone had to lose a spot on the 40-man roster for McGonigle.
It was Smith.
He made his MLB debut with the Tigers in June 2025, appearing in seven games with a 1.38 ERA, five walks and four strikeouts across 13 innings. He also registered a 3.65 ERA with seven walks and 22 strikeouts over 12⅔ innings in 12 games for Triple-A Toledo.
Smith ranks as the Tigers’ No. 21 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.
“It’s a harder 40-man to make, and it’s a harder 40-man to stay on,” Harris said. “Kevin McGonigle earned this opportunity, and he’s here to help us win, and sometimes that comes with tough choices, and unfortunately, Dylan lost his roster spot.”