The Detroit Tigers are set to give Andrew Sears his first big-league shot on Sunday, bringing up the left-hander for the finale of their three-game set against the Kansas City Royals in Kansas City, Mo.
Sears, known as “Psycho” for the way he attacks the mound, spent Saturday in the Tigers clubhouse for an acclimation day. He wasn’t allowed to speak with the media, but his path to Sunday is clear.
“He will be activated [Sunday],” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Saturday.
“He's not going to start, but he will certainly make his major-league debut at some point, for some period of time. I don't have it planned out yet until I see the bullpen usage tonight.
But we are excited to promote him, and we're thankful for the rule that you can come in and kind of get your feet under you the day before you play.”
Detroit is moving pieces around in the rotation to give young right-hander Keider Montero a little extra rest, which is why Sunday is shaping up as a bullpen game. Sears fits into that plan after a fast rise through the system.
The 10th-round pick out of UConn in the 2023 MLB Draft was held back from the start of the 2026 season until May 15 while recovering from a broken bone in his elbow. Since then, he has worked his way through High-A West Michigan, Double-A Erie and recently Triple-A Toledo.
His stop with the Mud Hens was brief but eye-catching. In two games, Sears struck out 14 and walked four across 9⅔ innings.
“He's got real weapons,” Hinch said. “This challenge, while a pretty big leap, given he's only had a couple games in Triple-A, he's demonstrated the ability to compete against anybody.
So I told him inside that his best is good enough. He just needs to come out and remember the game and get to strike one, and his stuff is going to play very well here.
So the fact he can miss bats, the fact that he's got multiple weapons, he is in attack mode.”
Across his minor-league career in the Tigers system, Sears has thrown 65 games, piling up 292 strikeouts against 108 walks with a 2.84 ERA in 260 innings.
“He was on our radar to start the year,” Hinch said. “Just given how successful he was last year, and what he brings to the to the mound with him every day.”
MLB Pipeline lists Sears as Detroit’s No. 14 prospect and describes him as a different kind of left-hander. The outlet noted his low three-quarters arm angle, a fastball that sits around 93-94 mph and can touch 97, plus both a four-seamer and two-seamer.
MLB Pipeline also pointed to a mid-80s sweeper that plays up because of that arm slot, along with a split change that is still developing. The report added that Sears improved his command after moving to the third-base side of the rubber.
“You're going to see him pitch with some intensity, some speed, some adrenaline,” Hinch said. “Once he settles in, I'm sure the emotion will come with it. You know, good prospect to come up and give the challenge to pitch at the highest level.”
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