Tigers News: Yankees release former reliever, minor league signing, Wenceel Pérez

Even though he was one of the only arms that actually worked out for the Tigers, Rafael Montero might be the figurehead for the failure of Scott Harris' 2025 trade deadline.

Montero was one of the worst relievers in the baseball when the Tigers bought him from the Braves (for new fan favorite in Atlanta Jim Jarvis). Chris Paddack, Charlie Morton, Paul Sewald, and the rest were no great shakes either, but Montero was by some metrics the worst.

They fixed him, apparently, by drawing sharpie lines on balls corresponding to his fastball grip, and he pitched 22 innings for a 2.86 ERA in Detroit. Credit to Chris Fetter where credit is due, but you can't tell Tigers fans they didn't mostly just get lucky.

Detroit let Montero walk when the season ended, and he ended up signing a minor league deal with the Yankees ... who just released him on Tuesday. His 5.67 ERA in 27 Triple-A innings only make it clearer that Detroit was playing with fire last year.

Detroit signs former division rival Seby Zavala for catching depth

After the Tigers released veteran catcher Tomás Nido in late July, they immediately signed other veteran catcher Carlos Pérez to a minor league deal to restore their catching depth. With Jake Rogers gone and Eduardo Valencia promoted to the backup role, they needed an obvious third-stringer.

Pérez landed on Mud Hens' IL on Aug. 2, and the Tigers moved relatively quickly to find some reassurance. Four days later, they signed former White Sox catcher Seby Zavala to a minor league deal.

Zavala was last seen in the majors in 2024, when he spent 18 games with the Mariners. He spent some time in the Red Sox's organization, then the Dodgers', before playing 34 games with the Charros de Jalisco of the Mexican League this June, and then signing with the Tigers.

Wenceel Pérez removed from his rehab assignment as eye problems persist

The Tigers moved Wenceel Pérez's rehab assignment to Toledo on Aug. 6, but it took them just three games in Triple-A to decide he needed more time before getting back in game mode. He went 0-for-10 with an RBI sac fly, and Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reported Tuesday that he was still dealing with eyesight issues and was being shut down.

Pérez has been on the IL since June 19 after suffering a left orbital fracture during a postgame workout. His build-up has been understandably slow, but he may have to start over again if he keeps running into setbacks.

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