Tigers reliever Bailey Horn underwent Tommy John surgery on Wednesday, the team announced (relayed by Chris McCosky of The Detroit News). He’ll miss the rest of the season and most or all of 2027.
Horn has been on the injured list all year. He underwent an arthroscopic elbow procedure and attempted to build up in early April. That didn’t get far and the southpaw continued to battle soreness into the summer. There’s evidently a ligament tear that required reconstructive surgery.
Detroit acquired Horn in a cash trade in Spring Training 2025. He spent most of last year in the minors but managed 11 2/3 frames across 10 appearances. Horn only allowed two runs despite a 10:7 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The Auburn product posted a 6.50 ERA across 18 appearances with the Red Sox in 2024, his only other MLB experience.
Horn will spend the remainder of the season on the injured list. He’ll earn a full year of service time and be paid at least the $780K minimum salary. It’s likely the Tigers will put him on waivers at the beginning of the offseason, as they’d otherwise need to add him back to the 40-man roster.
