Rockies right-hander RJ Petit underwent Tommy John surgery with an internal brace on Friday, per Thomas Harding of MLB.com. He will miss the entire 2026 season and likely part of 2027 as well.
Petit, 26, was the top pick in the most recent Rule 5 draft. The Tigers left him unprotected even though he had just finished a strong 2025 season. He tossed 66 1/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A with a 2.44 earned run average, 29.5% strikeout rate, 8.2% walk rate and 42.1% ground ball rate. While Petit was doing that, the Rockies were losing 119 games, therefore getting the top Rule 5 pick.
The righty made a few spring training appearances but it was revealed a couple of weeks ago that he had suffered a sprain of his ulnar collateral ligament. It seems that Petit and the Rockies took some time to consider the options before it was decided that surgery was necessary.
Petit should be placed on the 60-day injured list whenever the Rockies need a 40-man roster spot. He’ll spend the 2026 season earning big league pay and service time. The 60-day IL goes away five days after the World Series, so the Rockies would need to give him a spot at that time or else put him on waivers. If he clears waivers, he would have to be offered back to the Tigers.
Normally, a team gains full control of a Rule 5 player after holding him for a full season. However, the player has to be active for at least 90 days. If the Rockies want to keep Petit, they would have to keep him on the roster throughout the 2026-27 offseason. They could theoretically put him on the injured list to start the 2027 campaign and then activate him once he’s healthy. If were healthy in time to be active for 90 days in 2027, they would then gain his full rights. That would end the Rule 5 parameters and the Rockies could then option him to the minors.
Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images
Might as well just send him back to Detroit now. There is no point in trying to keep him. The guy will be 28 by the time he gets back. Better off using the 40 man spot on a younger guy. And yes I know he can be put on the 60 day IL for now, but I am talking about the offseason when he would have to take up a 40 man spot.
What did the Tigers know and when did they know it?
It seemed suspicious at the time to keep Drew Sommers and Bailey Horn rather than freeing up a spot for RJ Petit.