Glens Falls Chronicle Serving the Glens Falls/Lake George region; Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga counties since 1980
By Ben Westcott, Chronicle Staff Writer
Fort Ann’s Tyler Mattison, still recovering from Tommy John surgery, was added to the Detroit Tigers’ 40-man roster in November.
But “it gives me a little more excitement getting down here and getting back after it, for sure.”
Mattison is rehabbing at the Tigers’ spring training complex in Lakeland, Fla., where he’s done most of his recovery.
The 25-year-old 6’4” right-handed reliever underwent the elbow surgery in March that repairs a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL). Recovery time can range from 6 to 18 months. Mattison says he expects to pitch at full strength again by mid-April.
“It feels great,” he says. “It feels strong. I’m throwing off a mound now and just building back up. So it’s really exciting and encouraging.”
Mattison said it was “humbling” to be added to the big league roster.
Being on the 40-man means Mattison is just one step from the Major Leagues and is one of just 40 veteran players the Tigers chose to protect from being taken by another team in the Rule 5 draft.
Jason Beck, MLB.com senior reporter, noted, “The Tigers could’ve taken a chance that no club would want to carry a reliever working back from major surgery, particularly a reliever with one full, healthy season of pro ball under his belt.
“The Tigers liked the talent enough to not want to take that chance.”
Beck wrote that Mattison “seemed to be on a fast track to Detroit” before the elbow injury “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.”
Mattison says he working on “trying to be more repeatable with my mechanics and using my lower half a little bit better so it takes a little stress off the arm.”
He said recovering from Tommy John “was a grind.”
“It’s pretty cut and dry on the physical side, but mentally it’s a huge wear. I’ve always tried to have a lot of mental strength and confidence, but when you go through a surgery like Tommy John and you’re out for the whole year, it really knocks you back.
“The first couple weeks were really tough on me, just because I was down here and everybody was getting to enjoy playing baseball, and I was on the sidelines rehabbing and recovering.
“But as the season rolled on and I was getting healthier and healthier, you take a step back and appreciate being healthy and what that means, and doing everything I can going forward to make sure I stay healthy. And just appreciating every day of playing baseball, because it can be taken from you super quick, like it was last year.”
Looking ahead to the upcoming season, Mattison says, “The big picture goal is getting to the big leagues and helping the Tigers win at the big league level.”
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