Detroit Tigers Add Intriguing Left-Handed Relief Pitcher to 40-Man Roster

The Detroit Tigers have made a couple of interesting roster moves on Sunday afternoon which could indicate where they stand on a couple of different players.

According to a report from Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic on X (formerly Twitter), the Tigers selected the contract of left-handed reliever PJ Poulin and added him to the 40-man roster. Poulin was also optioned directly to Triple-A Toledo.

In a corresponding move, fellow left-hander Sean Guenther -- who had hip surgery last week -- was recalled from Toledo and placed on the 60-day injured list.

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Poulin had an upward mobility clause in his contract which was going to allow him to seek a deal with another team, however Detroit clearly wanted to keep him and added him to the 40-man as a result.

It makes a ton of sense why, as the 28-year-old has had a very nice season.

Making 29 appearances including three starts for Toledo while not on the 40-man roster, Poulin has posted an ERA of 3.72 and 1.349 WHIP while generating a ton of strikeouts. He has fanned 54 in 36.1 innings and walked just 14.

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If Poulin is recalled from Toledo at any point this year it will be for his Major League debut, and it certainly feels like he is pitching well enough right now where that could be in the cards.

On this team, the flexibility to be used as a potential opener as well in a bullpen game is huge, and could have been part of the reason Poulin was seen as valuable enough to make a move to keep.

The lefty is worth keeping an eye on over the next couple of months to see if he can make the next step in his professional career and help the Tigers win some ball games down the stretch.

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