Dean Kremer

There probably wasn't any chance of Kremer losing his rotation spot this spring anyway, and it's certainly not happening now that Grayson Rodriguez is bound for the IL. Still, Kremer has something to prove after finishing with a 92 ERA+ last season, and he's given up 12 earned runs and six homers in 12 innings during Grapefruit League play.

Ultimately, Kremer allowed four runs on six hits and a pair of hits in his three-plus innings of work. The 29-year-old right-hander struck out three opposing batters in the game. He served up an opposite-field two-run blast to Gleyber Torres in the opening inning and then was tagged by Spencer Torkelson for a pair of solo homers -- one in the second inning and another to start the fourth. Kremer got nine whiffs on 60 pitches on the night, posting a CSW of 25 percent. On the spring, he now holds a 6.75 ERA, 1.88 WHIP and an 8/5 K/BB ratio across eight innings in his first three outings.

Torres crushed an impressive 378-foot (103.4 mph EV) opposite-field two-run shot off of Dean Kremer in the opening inning that pulled the Tigers to within two runs at 4-2. That would be his lone hit in three at-bats on the evening. The 28-year-old infielder is off to a slow start in his first spring with the Tigers, hitting .214 (3-for-14) with a pair of homers and four RBI.

Torkelson has been playing like he wants to stay in the Tigers' lineup this spring. He tagged Orioles' right-hander Dean Kremer in the second inning for a 342-foot (98.5 mph EV) solo shot that pulled the Tigers to within a run at 4-3. He then evened the score himself with another blast off of Kremer in the fourth -- this time a 382-foot (102.0 mph EV) laser to left center. On the spring, he's now hitting a blistering .350 (7-for-20) with three homers, four RBI and a stolen base for good measure. With Matt Vierling and Parker Meadows both potentially sidelined to start the season, the door could be open for Torkelson to see regular action as the club's designated hitter with Kerry Carpenter getting more run in the outfield.

Ben Malgeri hit the homer. Kremer struck out three but also walked two. He's seemingly promised a spot in Baltimore's rotation, though he certainly wouldn't be if he pitched for most of the other AL contenders. He might prove just fine, but he was only an average starter in 2023 and he was less than that while going 8-10 with a 4.10 ERA last season.