Trey Wingenter needed a moment before summarizing his experience last season.

"Man, it's tough," he said.

Wingenter, a right-handed reliever, always holds himself to a high standard.

Entering the 2023 season, he hadn't pitched in the big leagues in three years, but he returned from a series of surgeries and expected to return to his high-leverage role of old.

He got back to the highest level as a member of the Opening Day roster, explained by Wingenter as "a big success" from "a 30,000-foot view" now that he has been able to reflect. He proved he compete in the big leagues again and get outs against the best hitters in the world.

"So from that standpoint, it was a great success and something to build on going into the offseason," said Wingenter, who struck out 22 batters across 17 innings in 2023, his third MLB season. "I have plenty of motivation because I know I can perform much better than that."

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The Detroit Tigers, for the second season in a row, signed Wingenter to a minor-league contract with an invitation to MLB spring training. Pitchers and catchers are scheduled for their first workout Feb. 14 in Lakeland, Florida.

Wingenter projects to open the season in Triple-A Toledo.

"Who knows what can happen?" Wingenter said. "You go from being out of the game for three years, and if you have one good season, you extend your career by five, six, seven years. It can change quickly, especially as a relief pitcher. I'm really excited going into this year."

Wingenter believes he can pitch better because he knows the health of his body. Remember, he missed almost all of the 2020, 2021 and 2022 seasons due to Tommy John surgery on his right elbow and a pair of back surgeries for herniated discs in 2021 and 2022. Before 2023, Wingenter last appeared in a big-league game with the San Diego Padres in 2019.

He thought he was healthy coming into last year's spring training, and in some ways he was, but he feels different preparing for his second round of Tigers camp. He survived his first year on the mound again, and he's stronger for it.

"It was tougher than maybe I expected," Wingenter said. "I know now that I thought I felt healthy last year going into spring training because I could walk again and I could play baseball again, which was awesome, but I realize, the way that I feel now, last year I didn't feel very good, health wise and strength wise."

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In 2023, Wingenter appeared in a combined 41 games for Low-A Lakeland (two games), Triple-A Toledo (22 games) and the Tigers (17 games). His 6.52 ERA was terrible, but his 29.3% strikeout rate was phenomenal and a testament to his potential. He struck out 51 batters in 38⅔ innings. (He also had 22 walks for a not-so-good 12.6% walk rate.)

He surrendered four runs and struck out 25 — with only five walks — in the span of 61 batters across his final 15⅓ innings, registering a dominant 2.35 ERA and an elite 41% strikeout rate.

The final eight of those 15⅓ innings were in a Tigers uniform.

"That definitely meant a lot," Wingenter said. "I really came full circle, right? I made the team out of camp, dealt with some things health and performance wise and got that last month in the big leagues. Being able to start and finish in the major leagues, coming off all those injuries, was really, really great for me."

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The health and performance struggles boiled down to shoulder tendinitis and lower-half mechanics. He spent more than two months on the injured list with the shoulder issue; he spent all of last season without the optimal mechanics.

He feels like he has a stronger foundation of strength, as well as refined mechanics. The Tigers shared with Wingenter their suggested changes to his lower-half mechanics in an exit meeting before the offseason.

"I'm leaving some power and easier velocity on the table with some inefficiencies in my lower body," Wingenter said, "and that led to some bad positions I was putting my arm in. Everything starts at the ground. A lot of that stuff I cleaned up early in the offseason with my lower body has led to my arm feeling a lot better and getting in better positions. The more efficient you can be in your delivery, the less stress that's on your arm, and all of a sudden, your arm doesn't feel as bad. It's made a big difference."

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Wingenter has high-leverage potential, but only if he can stay healthy, because of his two pitches: a high-velocity fastball and a swing-and-miss slider. His fastball averaged 95.8 mph; his slider generated a 50.7% whiff rate.

It's always been that way.

"It comes down to commanding the strike zone, which is the age-old quote," Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said in late July, when Wingenter returned as the 27th player for a doubleheader against the Los Angeles Angels. "He needs to get leverage and get control of the strike zone, and the stuff plays."

Wingenter, who had a 3.87 expected ERA based on underlying metrics, was removed from the 40-man roster and elected free agency at the beginning of the offseason, but the Tigers wanted him back from the onset.

And Wingenter wanted to return to the Tigers because of his relationships with the coaches. Other teams expressed interest, but no team showed interest like the Tigers. He kept in constant communication, including video calls, as he worked through his offseason program.

A minor-league contract is a low-risk deal for the Tigers; Wingenter will earn $1.2 million if he makes the majors. The two sides agreed to the deal in December before Christmas.

"I want to go start to finish," Wingenter said. "I want to be healthy, reliable and able to take the ball whenever I'm called upon, wherever it is, and prove that I can be healthy and reliable throughout a whole season. ... I feel like I can pitch in any bullpen in the league if I'm healthy and on my game, so that's what I intend to do. We'll let the rest take care of itself."

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers' Trey Wingenter thinks he 'can pitch in any bullpen'