Tigers Will Know More About Severity of Most Recently Injured Pitcher in Coming Days

The Detroit Tigers opted to make a change with their pitching staff this past weekend, designating John Brebbia for assignment.

Taking his place on the roster is Tyler Owens, who was promoted from the minor leagues.

The loss of Brebbia was one that the team controlled, but with other recent changes, their hand was forced.

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Star prospect Jackson Jobe has to undergo Tommy John surgery, creating another void in the starting rotation with Reese Olson already sidelined, along with veteran free agent signing Alex Cobb, who has yet to throw a pitch in the Major Leagues in 2025.

Unfortunately for the Tigers, their depth in the bullpen is going to be tested as well.

Their emerging star, Will Vest, exited Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds early because of an issue with his hand.

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“We got out there and said he had this feeling in his pinky and it was bothering him, so we took him out,” manager A.J. Hinch said, via Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic (subscription required). “We’ll get him evaluated, and he’ll run through the whole battery of tests. I have no idea what it is.”

There were no updates provided on Sunday afternoon and none are likely to come for at least one more day.

Vest said that he would prefer to wait until Tuesday after he gets more information about what kind of injury he is dealing with and the severity of the situation, via a team spokesperson, per Stavenhagen.

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There was already a need in the Detroit bullpen for a reliever who could miss bats with more consistency. The relief staff has been struggling with a 4.98 ERA in June, the fifth-worst mark in baseball.

Vest has been one of their stars to this point, anchoring the back end along with Tommy Kahnle.

The Tigers should already be working the phones for some relief pitching help. If Vest has to miss time, their need in the bullpen grows even more.

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Through 32 appearances and 35 innings, he has a 1.80 ERA with 37 strikeouts and 12 saves. Replacing that level of production would not be easy, but Detroit at least has the means to make some deals ahead of the deadline.

For more Tigers news, head over to Tigers On SI.