The former Fort Ann Cardinal was named to Detroit's 40 man roster Tuesday

The Detroit Tigers announced Tuesday three players have been added to their 40-man roster.

And one of those is Fort Ann graduate Tyler Mattison.

The Tigers have announced the following roster moves:

Selected to the 40-man roster: RHP Chase Lee, RHP Tyler Mattison, and RHP Tyler Owens.

Designated for assignment: INF Eddys Leonard, RHP Ricky Vanasco, and RHP Brendan White.

— Tigers PR (@DetroitTigersPR) November 19, 2024

Now before you go and research flights to Detroit for next season, a couple things to note as the addition of Tyler Mattison to the 40 man roster does not guarantee that the 4th Round draft pick will play in the majors in 2025.  

Incorporating Mattison to the 40-man roster is to protect him from the Rule 5 draft, which is held in December to give teams that do not have a full 40 man roster the opportunity to pick players from other organizations who have not added them on their 40 man roster.  To be eligible, a player must have signed with the organization at the age of 18 or younger and have gone 5 years without being added to their 40 man roster, or be added within 4 years if they are signed at the age of 19 or older. 

Players had to be added to the 40-man Roster by Tuesday, or be made eligible for the Rule 5 draft.

Plus Tyler Mattison spent 2024 off the field recovering from Tommy John surgery in March.  This means he will need some time to get back on the field and show what he can do at a minor league level before he's given the opportunity to play in the majors.

"Mattison is an interesting pick, because he didn’t pitch at all this past season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in March. He seemed to be on a fast track to Detroit before that, fanning 91 batters over 59 2/3 innings across 41 games in 2023 between Erie and High-A West Michigan. When he’s healthy, the 2021 fourth-round pick from Bryant University in Rhode Island is a big-bodied, late-inning power reliever."

- Jason Beck, writing for MiLB.com

But the addition of Mattison to the 40-man means Detroit sees promise in the Fort Ann kid, and wants to protect him so that other teams cannot poach him away.

Whether that means a trip to Detroit in 2025 will yet to be seen, but the future is bright for Tyler Mattison.