The Tigers’ spree of offseason minor league signings brought a host of random relief pitchers to the team, but we actually haven’t seen many of them this year. Detroit’s pitching staff has managed to stay mostly healthy so far this year (knock on wood), or have turned to more senior players in the organization.

A few of those minor league signings have already moved on to greener pastures — mostly not by choice. Konnor Pilkington, Dugan Darnell, and Bryan Sammons were all released this month. Cole Waites, one of the slightly more notable additions, is the latest to depart. The Tigers released him on Tuesday.

Waites is a former Giants top prospect; he peaked at No. 21 in their pipeline in 2023 but only ever appeared in eight major league innings before electing free agency at the end of 2025 and signing with the Tigers.

He spent some time on the Development List and some time on the IL this year and posted a 7.71 ERA in Triple-A in between, so it’s not hard to see why the Tigers let him walk.

Tigers sign Frontier League pitcher after respectable start to pro career

Speaking of random pitching signings, the Tigers added righty pitcher Maddox Long on a minor league deal on Monday, according to the Washington Wild Things, a member of the independent Frontier League.

Long went undrafted after four years at Harding University, and he spent summers in the Northwoods League. He had an admirable senior season at Harding, pitching 108 1/3 innings for a 2.66 ERA. Since joining the Wild Things at the beginning of their 2026 season, he’s made six starts (eight appearances) and posted a 1.81 ERA in 44 2/3 innings.

The latest in a recent string of Tigers indy ball signings, Long will join the FCL Tigers.

Jackson Jobe threw his first batting practice since Tommy John

Per Chris McCosky of the Detroit News, Jackson Jobe threw his first batting practice against live hitters in Lakeland on Saturday. We haven’t heard updates on how it actually went yet, but no news is better than bad news.

Jobe underwent Tommy John last June and has been taking his recovery process rather privately, but he threw a bullpen in front of Tigers brass in early June. Anytime we hear a Jobe update, it’s usually a good one, and he’s been making slow but sure progress toward a 2026 return.

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