Detroit — These are rough days for the stewards of the Tigers’ 40-man roster.
General manager Al Avila and his staff have until the end of the day Friday to set the roster and submit it to the league. Decisions have to be made about which young players to protect from the Rule 5 draft on Dec. 8.
The only way to keep an eligible player — college players drafted in 2018 or earlier, and high school and international players drafted or signed in 2017 or before — from the draft is to put him on the 40-man roster.