Thomas Szapucki: Everything you need to know

Szapucki (pectoral) struck out a batter and allowed one hit over a scoreless inning of relief Wednesday for Single-A Lakeland after being activated from the 60-day injured list. Szapucki is finally healthy again after he missed the entire 2023 and 2024 seasons while recovering from thoracic outlet syndrome surgery, which he underwent in May 2023. The 29-year-old lefty previously saw big-league action with the Mets and Giants during the 2021 and 2022 seasons, but after the long layoff, he'll likely stick around in the Florida State League to stack up some appearances before the Tigers eventually move him up to one of their higher-level affiliates.

Szapucki signed a minor-league contract with the Tigers on Monday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports. Szapucki will not be in big-league camp as part of the deal and will likely open the year in the upper minors. He was once a prominent Mets pitching prospect but arm injuries have hampered Szapucki's ability to settle into a role in the majors. A shoulder injury limited him to one minor-league appearance in 2024 and zero appearances in 2023.