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Tigers recover pitching prospect lost to first overall pick in 2025 Rule 5 draft

But there's a catch.
ByKatrina Stebbins
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Spring training for the Colorado Rockies at Salt River Field at Talking Stick
Spring training for the Colorado Rockies at Salt River Field at Talking Stick | RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images/GettyImages

The Tigers suffered the very first loss of the Rule 5 draft in 2025, when righty pitcher RJ Petit was taken by the Rockies with the first overall pick. He left Detroit's organization as their No. 30 prospect and landed in Colorado's at No. 26.

He managed to throw four innings in spring training, but the Rockies announced ahead of Opening Day that he was undergoing Tommy John, sidelining him for the 2026 season.

During roster crunches on Monday, the Rockies had to decide whether or not to keep Petit after moving him back from the 60-day IL, or to let him go. They chose the latter, and he was returned to the Tigers' system after almost exactly a year away.

Petit was a 14th-round pick for the Tigers in 2021 and was in Triple-A toward the end of the 2025 season. His 2.44 ERA across 66 1/3 innings in both Erie and Toledo made him an easy choice for the Rockies, who had just hired longtime Tigers director of pitching Gabe Ribas as an assistant pitching coach.

It's not surprising that the Rockies had to let him go, given the 40-man constraints, but it's an opportunity for the Tigers to get him through the rest of his recovery and fix him back up again.

Tigers get Rule 5 draft prospect RJ Petit back from Rockies after 40-man crunch

Petit was making waves within the Tigers organization before the Rule 5 draft. In May, he was named Detroit's hottest minor league pitcher after declining to give up a run out of the SeaWolves' bullpen in 15 2/3 innings from April 30 through June 4. He was promoted to Triple-A by July 22.

Pitchers can look very different when they come back from Tommy John, but it's easy to envision a place for Petit in the major league bullpen, especially when Scott Harris put such an emphasis on rebuilding the relief corps with internal options.

He doesn't seem like a future closer — that role will probably go to Drew Sommers — with 14 minor league saves to 24 holds, but he could be a seventh- or eighth-inning guy alongside Will Vest, who's best in the eighth. Kyle Finnegan should probably be ruled out of all high-leverage situations for the forseeable future.

There's still a long road ahead for Petit, but his return is probably a very pleasant surprise to the front office.

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