Detroit Tigers: Braden Bristo's big league dreams full of ups and downs

Detroit Tigers reliever Braden Bristo has been on a roller coaster.

The Detroit Tigers brought in reliever Braden Bristo from the Tampa Bay Rays organization earlier this season after he was designated for assignment. The right-handed reliever is a noted stuff-first arm who had desirable movement profiles that help him attack hitters.

However, the Detroit Tigers have used Bristo in the big leagues just as much as the Rays have. He's pitched in one game for the Tigers and was sent back down to the minors afterward. He was sent back down amid the Tigers roster changes that came up this weekend.

Bristo's been on a bit of a rollercoaster. His seasons have been filled with roster changes, ups and downs, and transitions. He's quite literally serving as the definition of a depth addition reliever and a Quad-A player.

He may not have thrown in a ton of games to this point, but he has a resume to be in a big-league bullpen. The thing is, he has only gotten two chances, quite literally two outings with two different teams.

When it comes to his outing in Detroit, Bristo threw 2.0 innings, allowing one unearned run with a walk. He held the Rays off the board other than the unearned run and recorded six outs for the Tigers before he was optioned back down to Triple-A.

Interestingly enough, his numbers at the Triple-A level have not been great. Posting ERA numbers above 10.00 with both Triple-A Durham and Triple-A Toledo. He may not be some elite reliever, but he's someone the Tigers are keeping around for depth.

What a spot to be in. For Bristo, it's been a lot of settling in and doing what he can to stay alive on the roster and avoid being DFA'd once again. However, the Tigers do not have room for him right now with the promotion of Reese Olson to the big league club.

As the team continues to adjust to the injuries that flooded in this week, Bristo might be someone who comes back up to the MLB squad sooner than later. He's a stuff-first reliever that the Tigers are seemingly trying to squeeze some value out of.

The question for him is how long he can hold on as a Quad-A guy or an up & down reliever with the Tigers. Bristo has something to offer; the Tigers are just trying to find ways to keep using him in ways that benefit the organization and help them compete in ballgames.