Alexander (1-0) allowed two runs on six hits and a walk over six innings Sunday, striking out four and earning a win over the Giants.
After Shawn Armstrong threw two frames, Alexander took the mound in the third inning. Alexander allowed one run through his first four innings before coughing up a solo homer in the seventh. It was his longest outing of 2024 and the first time he's allowed fewer than four runs. He lowered his ERA to 6.46 with a 12:5 K:BB through 15.1 frames. Alexander will likely continue working behind an opener or as a back-end starter.
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Rays' Tyler Alexander: Slated for bulk relief duty
Rotowire
Alexander will serve as a bulk reliever for the Rays on Sunday against the Giants, Ryan Bass of Bally Sports Sun reports.
Shawn Armstrong will handle opener duties before handing things over to Alexander. The left-handed Alexander has had a rough go of it so far in his first season in Tampa Bay, permitting nine earned runs on 14 hits through 9.1 innings.
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Rays' Tyler Alexander: Returns from bereavement
Rotowire
The Rays reinstated Alexander from the bereavement list Saturday.
Alexander has gotten off to a rough start this year, surrendering nine earned runs on 14 hits through 9.1 frames, and he is expected to make his next start Sunday against San Francisco. Jacob Waguespack was optioned to Triple-A Durham in a corresponding move.
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Rays' Tyler Alexander: Goes 4.1 frames in start
Rotowire
Alexander completed 4.1 innings against Colorado on Saturday, allowing four runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out four batters in a no-decision.
Alexander worked in bulk relief in his first game of the campaign last Sunday versus Toronto, but he was tabbed to start in Coors Field on Saturday. The left-hander pitched poorly enough to take the loss, allowing 10 baserunners while getting just 13 outs, but he was rescued from that fate when Tampa Bay's offense mounted a comeback in the late innings. It remains to be seen how he'll be used moving forward, but Alexander isn't an appealing fantasy target given that he has allowed nine runs and has served up four homers over 9.1 frames on the campaign while posting an 8:4 K:BB.
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Rays' Tyler Alexander: Struggles in bulk-relief role
Rotowire
Alexander allowed five runs on six hits and two walks over five innings during Sunday's loss to the Blue Jays. He struck out four.
Alexander struggled as he served as the bulk reliever for the Rays. It was Shawn Armstrong who was saddled with the loss, but Alexander unofficially earned that distinction with a poor performance that saw him serve up two home runs as part of the five runs he allowed.
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Rays' Tyler Alexander: Will be bulk reliever Sunday
Rotowire
Alexander will serve as a bulk reliever for the Rays in Sunday's game versus the Blue Jays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Shawn Armstrong will open things for Tampa Bay before Alexander takes over. Alexander won the final spot in the Rays' rotation with a solid spring, but him being used as a bulk reliever rather than a traditional starter could be a regular occurrence.
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Rays' Tyler Alexander: Wins final spot in rotation
Rotowire
Alexander has won the final spot in the Rays' Opening Day rotation, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Alexander will pitch in the Rays' fourth game of the season Sunday against the Blue Jays, though it's possible he will follow an opener. The left-hander was used as a full-time reliever last season with the Tigers, but he has plenty of past starting experience and was stretched out to 89 pitches in a minor-league game Sunday. Alexander could be shifted to the bullpen when Shane Baz (elbow) and/or Taj Bradley (pectoral) are ready to return from the injured list, but that might be a while.
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Rays' Tyler Alexander: Looks to be in rotation
Rotowire
Alexander threw 89 pitches and completed six innings in a minor-league game Sunday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Alexander is competing for the fifth starting job for the Rays to open the season with both Shane Baz (elbow) and Taj Bradley (pectoral) sidelined. In addition to his outing Sunday, Alexander also threw five innings in a March 19 Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox. Meanwhile, Jacob Waguespack -- another contender for the rotation -- has worked significantly shorter stints.
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Rays' Tyler Alexander: Among candidates for starting role
Rotowire
Alexander is a candidate to open the year as the Rays' No. 5 starter due to Taj Bradley (pectoral) being ruled out for the start of the season, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
A partial lat tear ended Alexander's season in July and the Tigers decided to move on in November. The Rays claimed Alexander off waivers and may need him for important innings right away with Bradley shut down for a couple weeks. Alexander threw over 100 big-league frames for Detroit in 2021 and 2022 and has been building up for a substantial workload this spring. Jacob Lopez, Naoyuki Uwasawa, Jacob Waguespack and Chris Devenski were also mentioned as possible replacements in the starting rotation.
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Rays' Tyler Alexander: Completes side session
Rotowire
Alexander (lat) threw a bullpen session Wednesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
While he was with the Tigers last season, Alexander didn't make any appearances after July 2 due to a left lat strain. He's seemingly entering his first Rays camp with few restrictions, if any, as he was throwing Wednesday alongside the team's other healthy relievers. The lefty turned in an unremarkable 4.50 ERA in 44 appearances with Detroit in 2023, but he had stronger underlying metrics (3.66 xERA, 3.48 SIERA, career-best 21.5 K-BB%). The Rays claimed him off waivers in November after the Tigers non-tendered him and are hoping that he can serve as a reliable multi-inning option out of the bullpen.
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Rays' Tyler Alexander: Avoids arbitration
Rotowire
Alexander (lat) signed a one-year contract with the Rays on Tuesday, avoiding arbitration, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Alexander was claimed off waivers from the Tigers last week. He finished the 2023 season on the 60-day injured list because of a partial lat tear but struck out 44 batters and issued only five walks over 44 innings when healthy.
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Rays' Tyler Alexander: Claimed by Rays
Rotowire
The Rays claimed Alexander (lat) off waivers from the Tigers on Friday, Tricia Whitaker of Bally Sports Sun reports.
Alexander missed much of the 2023 campaign with a tear in his left lat, although he's been throwing for a couple months and should be ready for spring training. The left-hander holds a career 4.38 ERA and 273:74 K:BB over 341.1 career major-league innings. He could operate as a swingman in Tampa Bay.
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Tigers' Tyler Alexander: Gets DFA'd
Rotowire
The Tigers designated Alexander (lat) for assignment Monday.
Before his season came to an end in July when he suffered a partial tear to his left lat, Alexander had enjoyed a solid season out of the Detroit bullpen. He pitched to a so-so 4.50 ERA, but most of Alexander's peripherals (3.66 xERA, 21.5 K-BB%) were encouraging. Alexander had advanced to throwing long toss in September, so he should be tracking toward a return to full health by spring training. Though he's no longer a member of Detroit's 40-man roster, the 29-year-old lefty could make for an appealing flyer for another organization via a waiver claim.
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Tigers' Tyler Alexander: Throwing on flat ground
Rotowire
Alexander (lat) has begun throwing on flat ground, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
Alexander has already been ruled out for the remainder of the season with a partial tear in his left lat, which he suffered back in early July. It's a good sign that he's throwing again, though, which should set him up to have a relatively normal offseason.
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Tigers' Tyler Alexander: No surgery needed
Rotowire
Alexander won't require surgery for the partial tear in his left lat and is expected to be ready for the start of spring training in 2024, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.
The 28-year-old will still miss the rest of the season while recovering from the injury, but the fact he won't require surgery is an encouraging development. According to Chris McCosky of The Detroit News, Alexander's rest-and-rehab program will start with being shut down from throwing for the next three months, but he should still have plenty of time to build his arm back up during the offseason.
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Tigers' Tyler Alexander: Lands on 60-day IL with lat strain
Rotowire
Alexander was placed on the 60-day injured list Tuesday with a left lat strain.
Alexander evidently suffered the injury during an appearance Sunday against the Rockies and he'll now be sidelined into September. He's expected to miss the remainder of the season, per Chris McCosky of The Detroit News. It's a blow to the Tigers' relief corps, as Alexander has pitched well with a 44:5 K:BB over 44 innings.
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Tigers' Tyler Alexander: Earns second win
Rotowire
Alexander (2-1) tossed two scoreless innings of relief to earn the win Monday against the Royals. He allowed one hit and one walk, while striking out four.
After a quality start from Reese Olson, Alexander worked through the seventh and eighth innings, scattering the two baserunners. It was the lefty's first win since May 3, though he's pitched fairly well lately, allowing just two earned runs over his last 13.2 innings. That's allowed Alexander to lower his ERA for the season to 4.66. He should stick in a long relief role for the Tigers, where he could vulture a few more wins, though fantasy impact may be hard to come by regularly.
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Tigers' Tyler Alexander: Takes loss Tuesday
Rotowire
Alexander (1-1) allowed one run on one hit across three innings to take the loss Tuesday against the Phillies. He struck out three.
Kyle Schwarber led off the game with a home run and it ended up being the only run either team would score. That left Alexander with a tough-luck loss, as this was one of his better outings of the season and his longest since going 3.1 innings on Opening Day. The lefty still has a rough 6.00 ERA overall and will likely continue to serve as a long reliever or occasional opener for the Tigers, giving him limited fantasy value.
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Tigers' Tyler Alexander: Serving as opener Tuesday
Rotowire
Alexander will serve as the Tigers' opening pitcher for Tuesday's game against the Phillies, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
Alexander will eat up an inning or two before turning the game over to the bullpen. The Tigers have yet to announce who will serve as the primary pitcher, if anyone, though Garrett Hill was recalled from Triple-A Toledo on Sunday and could be a candidate for long relief.
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Tigers' Tyler Alexander: Has another rough outing
Rotowire
Alexander, who allowed three runs across one inning in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals, has a 7.04 ERA this spring.
Alexander has been scored upon in only two of his five outings this spring, though he allowed three runs in each of those games, which has bloated his ERA. The lefty should still settle into a familiar swing role for the Tigers in 2023 after logging 101 innings last year. Alexander doesn't have a ton of fantasy value in relief, though he could be an occasional streamer if he makes some starts.
