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Listen in the appThe Detroit Tigers are finalizing their Opening Day roster with three days until the first game of the 2026 season against the San Diego Padres. On "Days of Roar," Evan Petzold and Chris Brown break down Tarik Skubal's "lethargic" final spring training start and reveal their final roster predictions, focusing on the biggest decision: Will top prospect Kevin McGonigle make the Opening Day roster? We also dive into the other roster battles, including Parker Meadows, Wenceel Pérez, Brenan Hanifee, Enmanuel De Jesus, Burch Smith and Sean Guenther. As the season begins, Petzold and Brown identify the Tigers' biggest strength (starting rotation) and biggest weakness (bullpen), plus they dive into 10 predictions about the season, featuring Skubal, McGonigle and Justin Verlander. Kevin Acee, the Padres beat writer for The San Diego Union-Tribune, joins the show to preview the opening series between the Tigers and Padres. To wrap up, Petzold and Brown discuss whether it's too early to worry about these key players based on spring training results: Spencer Torkelson, Kerry Carpenter, Colt Keith, Casey Mize and Jack Flaherty.
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Bonus: Kevin McGonigle era begins with Detroit Tigers' Opening Day win
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"Will Kevin McGonigle make Detroit Tigers' Opening Day roster? Previewing 2026 season" is an episode of Days of Roar: A Free Press Sports Detroit Tigers Podcast. Runtime 1 hr 6 min. Published March 23, 2026. Hit play above to stream it here, or open the free Spot Sports app for background play and offline downloads.