Former Alabama Baseball Pitcher Chase Lee Called Up by MLB's Detroit Tigers

One of the best Alabama baseball relievers in recent memory is headed to Major League Baseball. Chase Lee, who has the Crimson Tide's career record low for earned run average among relievers, was called up by the Detroit Tigers in a move officially announced Tuesday.

Lee was initially a sixth-round draftee of the Texas Rangers in 2021, after his junior year. He had pitched in Triple-A for that organization before being sent over to Detroit as part of a trade involving veteran big leaguer Andrew Chafin last summer. The Tigers later added him to the 40-man roster.

At Alabama, the righty relief pitcher (who also had experience as the closer) was a perfect 7-0 during his final season with 22 appearances to his name. His ERA in 2021 was 1.33 and his seven saves were eighth-best in the SEC. He tied for the team lead in wins with starter Tyler Ras, receiving third team NCBWA All-America honors.

In the Tigers' announcement, the club included Lee's first major league jersey number: No. 53. The team kept him on the 40-man roster despite optioning him to the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens from spring training in March. His first appearance with Detroit will mark his MLB debut.

Lee has a career 3.86 ERA through 182 innings in the minor leagues. He's saved 14 contests and made five starts, appearing in six games so far this season. His best campaign by ERA was last season (2.75), spread across 28 total contests and one start. He performed admirably in a limited sample size in 2020, fanning 19 batters in 11 innings with only two earned runs.