Tigers demote 2024 postseason standout after sending Jackson Jobe to 60-day IL

After Wednesday's devastating news that Jackson Jobe would be sidelined for the remainder of the season with an elbow injury, the Detroit Tigers have called in pitching reinforcements.

After transferring Jobe to the 60-day injured list, the Tigers selected the contract of veteran left-hander Matt Gage from Triple-A Toledo. To create space on the active roster, struggling right-handed reliever Beau Brieske was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move.

Gage, a 10th-round pick by the San Francisco Giants in 2014, signed a minor league deal with the Tigers during the offseason. He bounced around a handful of organizations in 2024, as the New York Yankees claimed him off waivers from the Houston Astros in January and flipped him to the Los Angeles Dodgers a month later.

The Dodgers released Gage but then re-signed him to a minor league deal. He triggered an opt-out clause and was added back to the 40-man roster, but he was traded to the New York Mets for cash. The Mets briefly recalled Gage, but he didn't appear in a Major League game for them. He elected free agency following the conclusion of the 2024 season.

Tigers select Matt Gage after transferring Jackson Jobe to 60-day IL

A veteran of 10 minor league seasons, he has just 19 2/3 innings of Major League experience under his belt. Those innings were spread across a pair of brief stints in the big leagues – 11 games with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2022 and five with the Houston Astros in 2023. In that admittedly small sample size, Gage has career ERA of 1.83 while holding opposing hitters to a .188 batting average.

He has pitched well for Toledo this season, logging 32 1/3 innings across 23 appearances and posting a sparkling 1.67 ERA. It is worth noting that he hasn't faced big league hitters in two years, but given that he is out of minor league options, it's unclear at this point how long he'll remain on the Tigers' 40-man roster. For the time being, he gives the Tigers a third left-handed bullpen arm alongside Brant Hurter and Tyler Holton.

At the very least, the Tigers need Brieske to rediscover his 2024 form. The right-hander emerged as an elite Swiss Army knife for manager AJ Hinch, and allowed just one earned run in 5 2/3 postseason innings against the Astros and Guardians. He started and finished 12 games apiece last year. Unfortunately, he's fallen apart in 2025.

Brieske has a 6.55 ERA, 6.22 FIP and 1.64 WHIP across 22 innings of work. He's subtracted 1.0 WAR from the Tigers. Hopefully some time down on the farm can assist in getting him back on track because there's no doubt he'll be needed if the Tigers go on a deep playoff run.

More Tigers content from Motor City Bengals