Left-handed Venezuelan pitcher Enmanuel De Jesus (29), who delivered a career outing at the World Baseball Classic (WBC), has been added to the Detroit Tigers' 40-man roster. He had been considering offers from KBO League and other Asian clubs, but now he is aiming for a spot on the major league opening roster.
Detroit on the 11th (all times Korea time) placed pitcher Troy Melton, who suffered a right elbow injury, on the 60-day injured list and added De Jesus to the 40-man roster. De Jesus, who signed a minor league deal with Detroit last December and participated in spring training and exhibition games as an invitee, had his status changed to a big leaguer.
According to the U.S. outlet The Athletic, De Jesus received a phone call on the morning of the 10th local time. There had been a night game the previous day and team practice was at 1 p.m., so De Jesus, who had been sleeping, did not pick up the phone. But when he turned over and checked his phone, he was wide awake.
The caller was Scott Harris, Detroit's president of baseball operations. He had sent a text saying, "Call me when you have time," and De Jesus immediately called back Harris. After hearing from Harris that he had been included on the 40-man roster, De Jesus said, "I am really happy. I appreciate the opportunity," and added that he "was open to the chance to return to Asia."
With his wife pregnant, returning to Asia was not easy, but he had to consider the financial realities. The Athletic reported that had Detroit not included De Jesus on the 40-man roster, it was likely he would have accepted offers to play in Asia after spending the past two seasons in the KBO. He received offers from several Asian teams, including those in the KBO.
The Samsung Lions, who released Matt Manning with an elbow injury and are seeking a replacement foreign pitcher, had been monitoring De Jesus. De Jesus, who has two years of KBO experience with the Kiwoom Heroes and KT Wiz, was not a superstar but performed respectably as a No. 2 starter. For Samsung, De Jesus, a pitcher who had been vetted and could be quickly brought in before the season opener, was ideal.
De Jesus, who failed to re-sign with KT after a slump late last season and whose retention rights were released, also failed to find another KBO job. After participating in the Venezuelan winter league last winter and quickly getting back into shape, De Jesus performed well in exhibition games: two appearances (one start, 6 1/3 innings), four hits allowed, one walk, seven strikeouts, and three runs (unearned). On the 2nd against the Toronto Blue Jays he struck out seven in three innings, making an impact.
Riding that momentum, he delivered a career outing at the WBC. Starting against Israel on the 8th, De Jesus went five innings, allowed two hits, no walks, struck out eight and gave up one run to earn the win. Dominating Israel's lineup with a perfect game bid through two outs in the fifth, De Jesus set a Venezuela WBC single-game record with eight strikeouts. It was the decisive blow that secured his spot on the 40-man roster.
Detroit manager A.J. Hinch said, "De Jesus attacks the strike zone. He throws a variety of pitches and is not limited by batter handedness," and added, "He is a pitcher who can perform multiple roles, so there is a chance he will join the team. By including him on the 40-man roster we will provide every opportunity to evaluate him."
After the WBC ends and he returns, he will go through testing in remaining exhibition games to earn a spot on the 26-man opening roster. The Athletic reported that De Jesus could prepare by increasing his innings as a starter at Triple-A Toledo, but if Detroit carries three left-handed pitchers on the opening roster, he would be a strong candidate to make the roster.
The Athletic added that De Jesus, who appeared in two major league games for the Miami Marlins in 2023, spent two years in the KBO and improved his fastball velocity with impressive vertical movement. He refined other offerings, such as a slider improved after being advised to work the ball up. His Korean stats (3.81 earned run average) were good but not dominant. However, he has been improving his changeup through Venezuelan pitching coach Johan Santana, and working with left-handed coach Santana, a two-time Cy Young winner, has diversified his pitching repertoire.
De Jesus, who idolized Santana as a child, has shown quick learning by producing eight whiffs with his changeup against Israel. At this pace, another surprise re-export from the KBO may be expected.
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