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Tigers Reportedly Decide Who Their September Call-Ups Will Be As MLB Rosters Expand

Originally posted on Detroit Tigers on SI | By Brad Wakai | Last updated Sep 1, 2025 8:00 AM ET

The Detroit Tigers will have two new players on their roster.

As part of the September call-ups when rosters expand from 26 men to 28 across Major League Baseball, according to Evan Petzold of The Detroit Free Press, the Tigers are set to recall both Justyn-Henry Malloy and Sawyer Gipson-Long from Triple-A Toledo.

Adding another hitter and another arm is fairly standard for contending teams entering the stretch run of the season, and Detroit has decided to add two players who have previously been part of their MLB roster.

How long both players will be with the MLB team isn't clear. Petzold noted that the Tigers still plan on "shuffling their roster throughout the final month of the season," so both Malloy and Gipson-Long "could be short-term additions."

Still, this duo will have the first crack at an audition to be included on the playoff roster when that time comes, regardless of if the shuffling continues as planned or not. With that in mind, here is how both players have performed this year thus far.

Justyn-Henry Malloy

The 25-year-old was optioned to Triple-A Toledo at the start of the season, but it didn't take long for him to get recalled to the big league roster. Promoted on March 31, Malloy remained with Detroit until he was optioned back to the minors on June 2, slashing .215/.348/.290 with one homer and 16 RBI across 45 games.

The Tigers called him back up on July 2 but optioned him two days later after he appeared in one game. For the year, he has a .208/.339/.281 slash line with 31 strikeouts and 19 walks, hitting just that one home run with those 16 RBI.

He's been much better in Triple-A, though, owning a slash line of .317/.444/.490 while showing more pop and run production, hitting eight longballs with 51 RBI across 66 games. Detroit is hoping that can carry over for the stretch run of the season, giving them another pinch-hitting option who can fill in as a right fielder or at first base as needed.

Sawyer Gipson-Long

The right-hander was acquired by the Tigers back in 2022 as the return in the Michael Fulmer trade. Gipson-Long made his major league debut the following year to close out the season. He flashed with a 2.70 ERA across his four starts, striking out 26 batters in 20 innings pitched.

Unfortunately, he had to undergo Tommy John surgery and procedure to repair a left hip labral tear at the start of the 2024 campaign, something that kept him on the shelf for a while. But he made his return to the mound this year and was activated for his first MLB start since the injury on June 4.

Gipson-Long made five appearances (two starts) before he was placed on the injured list again with neck stiffness, posting a 4.70 ERA with 18 strikeouts in 23 innings pitched, walking just four batters. He made his return for one outing on Aug. 13 before he was optioned back to the minors, throwing two scoreless innings where he gave up just one hit.

With Detroit looking for answers in their pitching staff -- both the starting rotation and bullpen -- there's a chance the 27-year-old could stick on the roster for the rest of the season and pitch meaningful innings during the playoffs.