Glens Falls Chronicle Serving the Glens Falls/Lake George region; Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga counties since 1980
By Ben Westcott, Chronicle Staff Writer
The Detroit Tigers removed Fort Ann’s Tyler Mattison from their 40-man roster last month, making him a free agent, but he tells The Chronicle he’ll re-sign with the organization after the Rule 5 Draft, set for Wednesday Dec. 10, after our press time.
Mattison, 26, hopes to start next season with Triple-A Toledo, where he finished last year, but is taking nothing for granted, going into spring training in Lakeland, Florida in February with an “earn a spot mentality,” he says.
The 6’4” right-handed relief pitcher, a 2021 Round 4 draft pick and Bryant University alum, was removed from the roster on Nov. 18 and “non-tendered” by the Tigers three days later.
Mattison said it “wasn’t shocking” to him because he knew from conversations with his agent it was going to happen.
“It’s a business,” Mattison said. “No hard feelings.”
Last season was a rehab campaign for Mattison, who missed the entire 2024 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He pitched about half his innings at Triple-A Toledo, posting a 3.79 ERA in 19 frames. The other half was split between the Tigers’ other minor league levels.
Mattison said he had “ups and downs” in Toledo, but “the times I did find success, I was like ‘okay, I belong here.’”
He said the season was “interesting in a good way” as coming back from injury challenged him physically and mentally.
“There’s a process to it,” he said. “It’s never going to be all positives.”
He said he was “super grateful to go back out and be able to compete” after being sidelined for a year.
MLB.com reporter Jason Beck wrote on Nov. 18 that Mattison was “a ranked prospect earlier this year who seemed positioned to make his Major League debut down the stretch. He struggled with command after he was promoted to Triple-A Toledo in July, including issuing 16 walks over 19 innings despite 26 strikeouts.”
After compiling a 4.54 ERA over 39.2 innings his rookie year spent mostly at Single-A Lakeland, Mattison had a breakout 2023 before his surgery, posting a 2.41 ERA in 59.2 innings for High-A West Michigan and Double-A Erie.
It convinced the Tigers to name him to their 40-man roster in November 2024, even though Mattison was still recovering from his Tommy John surgery at the time.
Mattison says getting to the big leagues is “always the main goal.” He’s focused on doing “everything in my power to obtain that goal….It’s going to be a process. It’s not going to happen overnight. I’m not trying to get ahead of myself at all. I’m focused on getting 1% better every day.”
He’s currently back home in Fort Ann. “It’s always great coming back here,” back to his roots and “how I got to where I am.”
He throws at Chase Sports Complex in South Glens Falls and works on strength and conditioning at ETS Performance in Queensbury. “I’m trying to take care of my body as much as possible and train my butt off,” Mattison says.
He said he’s now fully healthy and not in rehab mode. “It’s great not having that hanging over my head,” he says. “I feel like a normal baseball player again.”
