The Tigers announced this afternoon that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Troy Watson from Triple-A Toledo and immediately optioned him to Triple-A. It seemed that Watson had interest from a team overseas, which prompted the Tigers to add him to the 40-man roster, according to Chris McCosky of The Detroit News. To clear 40-man roster space for Watson, the team has moved righty Will Vest to the 60-day injured list.
Vest was on the IL earlier this season for right lateral forearm inflammation. After being activated on May 17th, he posted an ugly 6.00 ERA in his next 14 appearances. Vest went down again on July 1st, this time for right posterior elbow inflammation. Manager A.J. Hinch later told reporters, including McCosky, that Vest had a stress fracture in his elbow which would not require surgery. His current placement is retroactive to June 28th, so today’s transfer to the 60-day IL will keep Vest on the shelf until late August in the best case scenario.
Even without surgery, the move is hardly a welcome update for Vest and the Tigers. The team is 46-52 entering play today and just 3.5 games out of an AL Wild Card spot. The rotation, led by a now-healthy Tarik Skubal, has a 3.43 ERA that ranks third-best in the Majors, along with a fifth-best 10.3 fWAR.
In contrast, the bullpen’s 1.5 fWAR makes them a middle-of-the-pack group and a target for upgrades if the team decides to buy at the deadline. Enmanuel De Jesus and Tyler Holton have been solid, if underwhelming, but Drew Anderson has a 4.62 ERA in 48 2/3 innings. Kyle Finnegan‘s expected numbers put him about two runs higher than his actual 2.11 ERA, mostly thanks to his well-below-average strikeout and walk numbers.
In between injuries, Vest has a 6.08 ERA in 26 2/3 innings this year. While he technically doesn’t have enough innings to qualify, he’s still been the Tigers’ third-best reliever by fWAR. His strikeout and walk rates are both better than average, while Vest’s 61.8% ground ball rate is fifth-best among relievers with at least 20 innings. Detroit can expect Vest’s run prevention numbers to improve with better health, given that he ran a 2.93 ERA in 187 1/3 innings from 2023-25. Rather, they simply may not get him back in time to make a meaningful difference on their playoff odds.
Watson, 29, was a late-round draft pick by the Blue Jays in 2018. He reached Triple-A in 2023 and started there again in 2024, when he was traded to the Tigers in a cash deal. Watson had a 2.75 ERA and a strong 47.4% ground ball rate between Double-A and Triple-A in 2025, and he’s followed that up with a 3.33 ERA in 46 Triple-A innings this season, despite middling strikeout numbers. Watson will be making his major league debut if and when he gets recalled from Triple-A.
Photo courtesy of Rick Osentoski, Imagn Images
