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Tigers Activate Sawyer Gipson-Long

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June 4: The Tigers announced Gipson-Long’s activation today. Righty Dylan Smith was optioned to Triple-A Toledo as the corresponding active roster move. To open a 40-man spot, righty Jason Foley was recalled and placed on the major league 60-day IL. Foley underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in May while on optional assignment. Due to this move, he’ll get major league pay and service time while spending the rest of the year on the IL.

Foley came into this year with his service time clock at three years and 33 days. He should finish this season at 3.149, give or take a day. The Tigers can now retain him via arbitration through the 2028 season. However, he’ll be a non-tender candidate at the end of this year due to his health status. He is making $3.15MM this year and shouldn’t be able to push that any higher due to his injury absence.

June 3: The Tigers will activate Sawyer Gipson-Long to start tomorrow’s game against the White Sox, manager A.J. Hinch told reporters (including Evan Petzold of The Detroit Free-Press). He’ll be reinstated from the 60-day injured list, which will require a 40-man roster spot. The Tigers don’t have an obvious candidate to move to the 60-day IL. They’ll likely designate someone for assignment tomorrow.

Gipson-Long will take an MLB mound for the first time since September 2023. He injured his elbow last spring and required an internal brace UCL surgery. Knowing he’d miss the entire season either way, he also underwent a labrum repair on his left hip over the summer. He’ll make his return a little more than 13 months after the elbow procedure. He has taken the ball five times on a rehab stint going back to May 8. He reached 5 1/3 innings and 53 pitches during his final appearance with Triple-A Toledo last week.

Now 27, Gipson-Long has four MLB starts to his name. Those all came at the end of the 2023 season. He pitched well over 20 innings, working to a 2.70 ERA while striking out nearly 32% of opponents. It came against a soft slate of lineups, but it would have put him in the mix for the fifth or sixth spot on the rotation depth chart last year had he been healthy.

Injuries to Reese Olson and Jackson Jobe have opened that opportunity for now. Detroit has Tarik Skubal, Jack Flaherty, Casey Mize and Keider Montero operating as their top four at the moment. Veteran righty Alex Cobb recently began a rehab assignment; he’s been out all season with a hip issue.

White Sox Claim Ryan Cusick

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The White Sox announced that they have claimed right-hander Ryan Cusick off waivers from the Tigers and optioned him to Triple-A Charlotte. Detroit designated Cusick for assignment earlier this week. Righty Miguel Castro has been transferred to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man spot. Castro suffered a season-ending knee injury last week.

Cusick, 25, is a former first-round pick but he hasn’t yet been able to live up to that potential in the minor leagues. That’s why he’s been riding the transaction carousel lately. The A’s designated him for assignment just over a week ago. The Tigers claimed him but gave him the DFA treatment a few days later, which made him available to the White Sox today.

In the summer of 2021, Atlanta selected Cusick with the 24th overall pick and gave him a $2.7MM signing bonus. His time with that organization turned out to be brief, as Cusick was included in the March 2022 Matt Olson trade.

With the A’s, he didn’t pan out as a starter, both due to some injuries and his struggles to develop a changeup as a third offering. He had a 5.60 earned run average in 143 innings over the 2022 and 2023 seasons. The A’s moved him to the bullpen midway through 2024 and he showed promise there. He ended last year with a 1.73 ERA in 26 innings. His 11.8% walk rate was a bit high but he also punched out 28.2% of opponents.

The A’s put him on their 40-man roster in November to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft but he couldn’t keep that momentum going in 2025. He began this year with a 6.75 ERA in 14 2/3 innings. His 19.4% walk rate was actually higher than his 16.4% strikeout rate in that time. After the Tigers claimed him, he was able to add one scoreless inning before his second DFA of the year.

Cusick is clearly still a project but the Sox are a sensible landing spot for him. They are deep in rebuilding mode, having lost 121 games last year. They’re not quite as bad this year but they’re still the worst team in the American League. Most of their pitchers are young and inexperienced. If Cusick can get in a good groove with Charlotte, there’s a path to big league playing time. He has a full slate of options and can be kept in the minors for quite a while, though it’s also possible he gets nudged off the 40-man roster yet again if his struggles continue.

Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images

Tigers Reinstate Parker Meadows From 60-Day IL

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The Tigers announced that outfielder Parker Meadows has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list. Fellow outfielder Justyn-Henry Malloy has been optioned to Triple-A Toledo in a corresponding active roster move. To open a 40-man spot, right-hander Ryan Cusick has been designated for assignment. Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reported the Meadows and Malloy moves prior to the official announcement.

Meadows, 25, will be making his season debut as soon as he gets into a game. Way back in February, he was battling some inflammation in his upper right arm. It was later revealed that this was due to issues with the musculocutaneous nerve. He was placed on the 60-day IL in late March, indicating he wouldn’t be an option for the Tigers in the first two months of the season.

He seems to be fine now. He has played eight rehab games over the past two weeks and put up a stout .259/.394/.556 line in those. His throwing was a concern when the issue first cropped up but he’s been playing the field during his rehab, so he’s presumably fine in that regard as well.

Now that he’s back, it should be a boost for the Tigers. Meadows hit .241/.317/.413 for a 106 wRC+ in 119 games over the previous two seasons. He also stole 17 bases and received strong marks for his center field defense. FanGraphs credited him with 3.1 wins above replacement in that time, even though he had played less than a full season’s worth of games.

The Tigers have had a number of health problems in the outfield this year. In addition to Meadows, Matt Vierling and Wenceel Pérez have also missed significant time. Vierling was recently reinstated but went right back on the IL after just a few days.

The club has managed to weather that storm about as well as could have been expected. Riley Greene and Kerry Carpenter have both been great while utility guys like Javier Báez and Zach McKinstry have also made nice contributions. Now that Meadows and Pérez are back, that should further strengthen a team that already leads the majors with a 39-21 record.

Cusick, 25, was just claimed off waivers from the A’s a few days ago. He will likely wind up back on waivers again in the coming days and it’s possible he’ll clear. As the best team in baseball, the Tigers are last on the waiver priority list, so the other 29 clubs passed on him just a few days ago.

A former first-round pick of Atlanta, Cusick’s minor league work hasn’t produce much optimism yet. He posted poor numbers for the A’s in the minors in 2022, 2023 and through the first half of 2024. A move to relief last year inspired some optimism, as he posted a 1.73 ERA in his final 26 innings. However, his results have backed up here in 2025. He had a 6.75 ERA in 14 2/3 Triple-A innings before the A’s designated him for assignment. Since being claimed, he has tossed one scoreless inning for Toledo.

Photo courtesy of Junfu Han, Imagn Images

Tigers Place Jackson Jobe On IL With Flexor Strain

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The Tigers announced that they have placed right-hander Jackson Jobe on the 15-day injured list due to a grade 1 flexor strain in his right elbow. Righty Dylan Smith was selected to take his place on the roster, a move that was previously reported. Righty Alex Cobb was transferred to the 60-day IL to open a 40-man spot for Smith.

The news on Jobe doesn’t completely come out of nowhere. After Wednesday’s game, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press noted that Jobe’s velocity was down a bit. Jobe wasn’t in the clubhouse to talk to reporters after the game and the Tigers even closed the clubhouse while reporters were waiting to speak to him within an hour of the game ending, which Petzold noted was a violation of MLB club and media regulations. The club hasn’t provided a timeline for how much time they expect Jobe to miss, though it’s always at least somewhat concerning when a pitcher’s throwing elbow is injured.

Either way, this IL stint interrupts his first extended look in the big leagues. A former third overall pick and one of the top prospects in baseball, he hasn’t quite hit his stride in the majors yet. He made a brief debut late last year and earned a rotation job here in 2025. He has made ten starts this year with a 4.22 earned run average, 17.9% strikeout rate, 12.4% walk rate and 43.2% ground ball rate.

Those aren’t exactly dominant numbers but Jobe is still quite young. He won’t even celebrate his 23rd birthday until July. The fact that he’s in the majors at all at this age is a testament to his talent. There’s still lots of time for him to fully break out and the injury perhaps provides an explanation for why he hasn’t quite been firing on all cylinders yet.

For now, the Tigers will have to fill his rotation spot. Chris McCosky of Detroit News suggests that Sawyer Gipson-Long is a likely candidate to take over for Jobe. Gipson-Long underwent internal brace surgery in April of last year. He is now healthy enough to have made five rehab starts, getting to 5 1/3 innings in his most recent outing. Prior to going under the knife, he made four starts for the Tigers in 2023 with a 2.70 ERA. He is on the 60-day IL so the Tigers would need to open a 40-man spot if he is to be reinstated in the coming days.

As for Cobb, this move doesn’t impact his timeline. His 60-day count is retroactive to his initial placement on the 15-day IL. Since he’s already been on the shelf more than 60 days, he’s eligible to be reinstated at any time. Dan Hasty, broadcaster for the High-A West Michigan Whitecaps, relays that Cobb is expected to start a rehab assignment with that club tonight. Cobb will surely need a few weeks of ramp-up after missing so much time. He’s been out all year due to right hip inflammation.

Photo courtesy of Junfu Han, Imagn Images.

Tigers Claim Ryan Cusick

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The Tigers have claimed right-hander Ryan Cusick off waivers from the Athletics, according to announcements from both clubs. He has been optioned to Triple-A Toledo. The righty was designated for assignment by the A’s earlier this week. The Tigers had an open 40-man spot but are reportedly planning to select righty Dylan Smith, so they will now need to make a corresponding move for him, though Alex Cobb could easily be transferred to the 60-day injured list since he’s already been out of action longer than 60 days.

Cusick, 25, is a former first-round pick but his recent results haven’t lined up to that billing. Atlanta grabbed him with the 24th overall pick in 2021 and gave him a $2.7MM signing bonus. Just a few months later, he was flipped to the A’s as part of the Matt Olson deal in March of 2022.

The A’s kept him in a starting role at first but he missed time due to injury and struggled to successfully develop his changeup as a third pitch. Over 2022 and 2023, he tossed 143 innings, mostly at the Double-A level, with a 5.60 earned run average. He was still starting in the first half of 2024 but the A’s moved him to the bullpen midway through, with encouraging results. He posted a 1.73 ERA in his final 26 innings. His 11.8% walk rate was on the high side but he struck out 28.2% of batters faced.

The A’s gave him a 40-man spot in November to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft but his results have backed up here in 2025. He posted a 6.75 ERA through 14 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level. He was playing in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League but didn’t do himself any favors with a 16.4% strikeout rate and 19.4% walk rate, though he did get grounders on 57.5% of balls in play.

Cusick may still be a work in progress but he has a full slate of options and the Tigers had a 40-man roster spot. They can send him to Toledo to see if they can help him get back on track after a rough start to his season.

Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images

Tigers To Select Dylan Smith

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The Tigers are calling up righty reliever Dylan Smith, as first reported by Tigers Torkmoil. He is not on the 40-man roster. Detroit already has an opening in that regard, so they’ll only need to make an active roster move involving a pitcher tomorrow.

It’s a nice birthday gift for Smith, who turned 25 yesterday. He’s in his fourth professional season. A third-round pick out of Alabama in 2021, Smith struggled early in his minor league career while working as a starter. That was partially due to injury, mostly forearm and shoulder issues. Detroit moved him to the bullpen this year as a result.

Smith has quickly found upper minors success while working in shorter stints. He posted a 1.80 ERA with a massive 37% strikeout rate through 20 innings at Double-A Erie. Smith climbed to Triple-A Toledo last week. He’s only pitched twice, firing 2 1/3 scoreless frames while punching out five of eight opponents. He’s averaging 94 MPH on his fastball in his Triple-A work.

Baseball America did not include Smith among Detroit’s top 30 prospects over the winter. Eric Longenhagen and James Fegan at FanGraphs placed him 35th in the system in their write-up during Spring Training. FanGraphs credited Smith with a plus slider and good life on his fastball.

Tigers Place Matt Vierling On Injured List

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The Tigers are placing third baseman/outfielder Matt Vierling back on the injured list. Per Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, Vierling is going on the 10-day IL due to right shoulder inflammation. Outfielder Wenceel Pérez has been reinstated from the 60-day IL in a corresponding move. The Tigers’ 40-man count climbs from 38 to 39.

There aren’t many details about Vierling’s current status but it’s an ominous development nonetheless. His shoulder issues first popped up three months ago. In late February, the club announced that he had been diagnosed with a right rotator cuff strain. He spent several weeks trying to get healthy and was reinstated from the IL on Friday. Now just a few days later, he’s back on the IL due to that same shoulder.

There will surely be more updates on Vierling’s status in the coming days, but it feels like a bad sign that he has apparently aggravated the shoulder that has already been an issue for basically the entire year. “We put him on the injured list which should tell you we don’t think he can play,” manager A.J. Hinch said, per Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic. “We’ll have more information as we get more tests, and more doctors need to weigh in.”

Over 2023 and 2024, Vierling hit a combined .259/.320/.406 for the Tigers, producing a 104 wRC+. He did that while primarily playing third base and the outfield. Third base has been a bit of a hole for Detroit this year, as they have a collective .202/.279/.285 line from that position. Jace Jung got optioned to the minors a couple of weeks ago after he couldn’t do much at the plate. Utility players like Zach McKinstry, Andy Ibáñez and Javier Báez have seen time at the hot corner and will have to continue to do so.

In the outfield, the Tigers have been without Vierling, Pérez and Parker Meadows for much of the season. They’ve managed to get good production from the grass regardless, thanks largely to Riley Greene and Kerry Carpenter, while McKinstry, Báez and others have chipped in as well. That group will again have to hold things down in the outfield without Vierling, though as least the return of Pérez gives them another option.

Photo courtesy of Rick Osentoski, Imagn Images

Tigers Outright Tomas Nido

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The Tigers announced that catcher Tomás Nido cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Toledo. The veteran backstop has the right to decline the assignment in favor of free agency, though the team did not provide any indication that he’d do that.

Nido spent six weeks on Detroit’s big league roster while Jake Rogers was down with a left oblique strain. The 31-year-old backed up Dillon Dingler and was mostly productive in a tiny sample. Nido collected 12 hits in 10 games, batting .343 in the process. That came in just 35 at-bats, though, and Nido’s much bigger MLB track record is that of a well below-average hitter. He has a lifetime .215/.249/.310 slash in nearly 1000 big league plate appearances. He was hitting .160 in six Triple-A games before the Tigers called him up.

Teams clearly remained skeptical about Nido’s hitting ability, this year’s small-sample success notwithstanding. He’s out of options, so any team that claimed him would have needed to carry him on the MLB roster themselves. The Tigers would surely be happy to retain him as non-roster depth in Toledo. Nido has a positive defensive reputation and plenty of upper minors experience. Rogers and Dingler are the only catchers on the 40-man roster, so Nido would probably be the first one back up if either of the big league catchers suffered a future injury.

Tigers Designate Tomas Nido For Assignment

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The Tigers announced Tuesday that catcher Tomas Nido has been designated for assignment. His spot on the roster will go to fellow catcher Jake Rogers, who is being reinstated from the injured list after missing about six weeks with an oblique strain.

Nido’s DFA shouldn’t come as a huge surprise. Though he’s hitting .343 with Detroit, that’s a 12-for-37 sample that’s consisted entirely of singles and has come without a walk. Nido’s offense has been buoyed by a .480 average on balls in play. He’s fanned 10 times in 37 plate appearances (27%) and chased pitches off the plate at a grim 41% clip. He’s a well-regarded defender, but Nido entered the season as a career .210/.245/.309 hitter in 945 major league plate appearances. He was hitting .160/.222/.320 in 28 Triple-A plate appearances at the time he was originally summoned to the majors in place of the injured Rogers.

Detroit will happily take the month-plus of solid backup work for Nido and would surely love to pass him through waivers in order to retain him as a depth option in Triple-A Toledo. It’s hardly out of the question that he gets claimed, but there’s a good chance he’ll pass through waivers unclaimed as he did in June 2023 after the Mets had designated him for assignment. If Nido does clear waivers, he’d have the right to reject a minor league assignment (by virtue of both service time and that 2023 outright) in lieu of electing free agency.

Tigers To Activate Jake Rogers

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The Tigers will reinstate catcher Jake Rogers from the injured list today, manager A.J. Hinch announced to the team’s beat (link via Evan Woodbery of MLive.com). The likely corresponding move will be to move on from veteran Tomas Nido, who has hit well in a small sample of 37 plate appearances but can’t be optioned to the minors without first clearing waivers.

Rogers, 30, went 5-for-15 with three doubles during a brief Triple-A rehab assignment. He landed on the injured list about a week into the season thanks to an oblique strain that wound up sidelining him nearly six weeks. He was 4-for-18 with a double and three walks in 22 plate appearances when healthy and carries a .198/.262/.351 batting line dating back to last season.

Though he’s coming off a down season with the bat, Rogers is a premium defensive catcher who popped 21 home runs as recently as 2023. From 2022-23, Rogers slashed .225/.291/.457 (103 wRC+) with 27 big flies in only 492 plate appearances. The Tigers will certainly hope that he can return to that form at the plate, but Rogers’ glovework is strong enough that he’ll hold down a key role on the team even if his bat doesn’t return to form.

In Rogers’ absence, former second-round pick Dillon Dingler has seen the lion’s share of playing time and made a case for a larger role than that of the standard backup. He’s hitting .292/.319/.462 with four homers, eight doubles and a triple in 135 turns at the plate. Dingler’s 27.4% strikeout rate is a few ticks too high — though lower than Rogers’ typical levels — and he’s not going to sustain a .382 average on balls in play, but he increasingly looks like a competent offensive player whose glovework is similarly well-regarded to that of Rogers. Time will tell how the Tigers will divide up the reps behind the dish, but it’s possible that Dingler has played himself into more of an even timeshare already.

As for the 31-year-old Nido, he’s appeared in 10 games since Rogers’ injury and gone 12-for-37. He’s hitting .343, but all of his hits have been singles and he’s sitting on a .480 average on balls in play he can’t possibly sustain over a larger sample. Nido, like his two fellow Detroit backstops, is a plus defender but entered the season with a career .210/.245/.309 batting line. He’s out of minor league options and has more than five years of service anyhow (meaning even if he did have minor league option remaining, he’d have to consent to being sent down).

If the Tigers end up designating Nido for assignment, they’ll have five days to try to trade him before he’d have to be placed on outright waivers (which is a 48-hour process). The Tigers would presumably prefer to keep Nido in the organization as depth in Triple-A Toledo, but even if Nido were to go unclaimed on waivers, he could reject an outright assignment to Triple-A in favor of free agency.

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