Motor City Bengals
FanSided

Tigers make unexpected promotion from Triple-A as bizarre bullpen carousel continues

ByKatrina Stebbins|
From left, Detroit Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris, talks to manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Greenberg before Game 2 of ALDS at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio on Monday, Oct. 7, 2024.
From left, Detroit Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris, talks to manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Greenberg before Game 2 of ALDS at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio on Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Detroit Tigers acquired lefty pitcher Drew Sommers from the Rays in February in return for reliever Mason Englert, who had been DFA'ed a few days before. Sommers was an 11th-round draft pick in 2022 and not a Rays top prospect, and Englert had a 5.43 ERA in his two seasons in Detroit, so it was a deal that fans were probably pretty quick to forget about.

However, the Tigers are keeping everyone on their toes these days. There have been a slew of confusing roster moves in the last few weeks, spinning a carousel between Detroit and Toledo that has to be keeping relievers on their toes. Brenan Hanifee, Brant Hurter, and Codi Heuer are just a few that have been sent down and brought back within the last month.

Sommers is the latest to get the call. Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reported on Thursday afternoon that he was receiving a promotion to make his major league debut against the Royals this weekend. The corresponding moves are not yet known, but the Tigers will have to clear both a 40-man and 26-man spot.

Tigers are reportedly calling up lefty reliever acquired in offseason Rays trade, Drew Sommers

Petzold kind of made it sound like the Tigers were just waiting for the right time to deploy Sommers, but that would be news to Tigers fans. It sort of makes sense when you consider that lefties Bailey Horn and Brant Hurter were sent down too recently to recall them, but it still begs the question of why they were sent down in the first place when both were optioned after decent relief appearances.

After the trade, Sommers was sent to Double-A Erie and threw 24 1/3 innings in relief for a 1.48 ERA. It earned him a promotion to Triple-A Toledo on May 27, where he has a 3.31 ERA in 32 2/3 innings. His last relief appearance on Wednesday yielded a hitless frame.

With the way the Tigers are operating, it doesn't seem likely that Sommers stays in the majors for long, even if he has an outstanding debut. Detroit is exhausting their lefty depth options but still have three in Toledo who have yet to be called up — Lael Lockhart, Nick Margevicius, and Carlos Peña. Could any or all of them make their debut this season? It may be more likely than you think.

More Detroit Tigers content from Motor City Bengals