Tigers add pitching depth from Phillies after official Parker Meadows roster move

The Detroit Tigers made a pair of notable roster moves Monday — one born out of opportunity, the other out of unfortunate necessity.

Detroit claimed right-hander Yoniel Curet off waivers from the Philadelphia Phillies, adding a high-upside arm to the organization’s pitching depth. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Tigers transferred center fielder Parker Meadows from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL — a move that underscores just how significant his recent injury was.

Meadows suffered a concussion and a forearm fracture following a violent outfield collision with Riley Greene while tracking a ball in the left-center gap. The timing couldn’t be worse for a Tigers club that had relied heavily on Meadows early in the season. He started 11 of the team’s first 13 games in center field and was hitting .250 at the time of the injury.

Now, Detroit will be without one of its primary outfielders for at least two months — and likely longer — as Meadows continues to recover from yet another setback in what has been a challenging stretch of injuries dating back to last season.

Tigers add intriguing pitching depth with Yoniel Curet waiver claim

While the Meadows news is a blow, the addition of Curet offers a glimpse of potential upside.

The 23-year-old righty brings a power arsenal that has intrigued evaluators for years. Standing 6-foot-2 and 250 pounds, Curet features a mid-90s fastball that can reach the upper 90s, pairing a four-seamer and sinker with a hard slider in the upper-80s. That combination has helped him generate impressive strikeout numbers throughout the minors, including a 25.5% strikeout rate across 55 1/3 innings last season.

But Curet’s profile comes with clear risk, as command issues remain the biggest question mark. He walked 12.8% of batters in 2025 and struggled even more at Triple-A, where that number ballooned to 17.4%. Those issues persisted this spring, as he walked four of the 14 hitters he faced and hit another, leading to eight runs allowed in just 1 2/3 innings before being designated for assignment.

Still, this is exactly the type of arm worth taking a flier on — especially for a Tigers team that has shown a willingness to develop power pitchers with raw traits.

Curet has primarily worked as a starter, but a transition to the bullpen could ultimately unlock his best version. There’s no immediate pressure to define his role, though. He is in his final minor league option year, giving Detroit flexibility to evaluate him in multiple roles before making a long-term decision.

For now, the Tigers will take a patient approach. Curet has been optioned to the Florida Complex League as he builds back up after a limited spring, with a likely path that includes a stop in Triple-A Toledo later this season.

In the short term, however, this move is less about immediate impact and more about organizational depth — the kind that becomes increasingly important over the course of a 162-game season.

And with Meadows sidelined for the foreseeable future, the Tigers will need all the help they can get — wherever they can find it.

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