Tigers dip back into Rule 5 pool for strike-throwing RHP Mason Englert

San Diego – Moving up in drafts is becoming a thing for the Tigers.

The day after moving up three slots – from No. 6 to No. 3 – in the first-ever MLB Draft lottery, they moved up from No. 6 to No. 5 in the Rule 5 draft Wednesday.

And with that pick, the Tigers selected 23-year-old right-hander Mason Englert off the Texas Rangers’ Triple-A roster.

Englert, who features a mid-90s fastball, a hard slider and above-average changeup, hasn’t pitched above Double-A. He had Tommy John surgery in 2019 but came back strong last season. In 21 starts at High-A Hickory, he punched out 136 with just 31 walks.

"He hasn't been pitching that long," Tigers president Scott Harris said. "He came out of high school, had Tommy John surgery and then lost a year to the pandemic. But the thing we like, he pounded the strike zone throughout the minor leagues and flashed four different swing-and-miss weapons.

"And it felt like he was getting better throughout the season. It's going to be fun to see him take the next step and compete with Major League hitters in spring training. "

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Englert, who averaged 10 strikeouts per nine innings in 43 minor-league starts, slots in at No. 25 on the Tigers' prospect rankings per MLB Pipeline. Harris said he will come to camp stretched out as a starting pitcher.

"It is a difficult task for any Rule 5 player, but for him I think there's a chance his stuff will tick up even more being another year out from surgery," Harris said. "We think he has the (pitch) shapes and the power to compete against Major League hitters and we're going to see if he can do that."

Per Rule 5 rules, the Tigers have to keep Englert on the big-league roster all season or offer him back to the Rangers.

"It's just exciting to get a pitcher like that in front of (pitching coaches) Chris Fetter, Juan Nieves and Robin Lund and see if they can help him take that next step in his development," Harris said. "This is another ball of clay to hand to them and I'm excited to see what they can do."

In the minor-league portion of the Rule 5 draft, the Tigers selected another right-hander, 26-year-old reliever Layne Henderson from the Houston Astros.

Between Double-A and Triple-A last season, Henderson averaged 11.5 strikeouts and 4.1 walks per nine innings.  

The Tigers didn’t lose any players in Major League Rule 5 draft, but they did lose two in the minor-league portion – infielder Dane Myers and right-handed pitcher Nick Kuzia, both off the Double-A Erie roster. Myers was selected by the Florida Marlins, Kuzia to the Colorado Rockies.

Myers, who started pro ball as a pitcher, hit 25 home runs for Erie last season. Kuzia came to the Tigers as a minor-league Rule 5 pick from San Diego two years ago.

cmccosky@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @cmccosky