Dan Dickerson: Here’s what Detroit Tigers should do in MLB offseason
On “Days of Roar,” Dan Dickerson – radio voice of the Detroit Tigers – breaks down what offseason moves should be pursued to improve the roster.
The Detroit Tigers have added a pitcher who took the mound for the 2025 World Series champions.
The Tigers claimed right-handed reliever Jack Little off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday, Nov. 6, amid a flurry of roster moves, including the reinstatement of six players from the 60-day injured list.
Little made his MLB debut in June 2025 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, appearing in two games. The 27-year-old has two minor-league options remaining, giving the Tigers flexibility to shuffle him between Triple-A and MLB in 2026.
The Tigers also reinstated these six players from the 60-day injured list: right-hander Reese Olson (right shoulder strain), right-hander Ty Madden (right rotator cuff strain), right-handed reliever Beau Brieske (right forearm strain), left-handed reliever Sean Guenther (left hip surgery), right-handed reliever Jason Foley (right shoulder surgery) and right-hander Jackson Jobe (right elbow surgery).
The 40-man roster is at 40 players.
In his two MLB games, Little allowed two runs on four hits and one walk with two strikeouts across three innings. He faced the San Diego Padres on June 19 and Houston Astros on July 5, recording the first strikeout of his career against MartÃn Maldonado.
Little pitched in 50 games in Triple-A with the Dodgers (Triple-A Oklahoma City for 36 games) and Pirates (Triple-A Indianapolis for 14 games) organizations, posting a 4.06 ERA with 22 walks and 53 strikeouts across 62 innings.
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The Pirates claimed Little off waivers from the Dodgers in early August.
He throws three pitches: four-seam fastball, slider and splitter.
At the Triple-A level, his fastball averaged 93.8 mph and maxed out at 96.3 mph. His slider didn’t miss many bats, but his splitter generated an above-average 35.6% whiff rate.
Little dominated right-handed hitters, holding them to a .177 batting average and a .545 OPS, but he struggled against lefties, allowing a .314 batting average and a .789 OPS.
The Dodgers selected Little in the fifth round, at No. 161 overall, in the 2019 draft out of Stanford, but he never ranked among the Dodgers’ top 30 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline. He missed all of 2022 after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
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