Tigers regain pitching depth in underwhelming September call-up after roster crunch

When the Tigers called up Yilber Díaz at the end of August, it basically signaled to fans that the time for threading the needle was over. Díaz, a waiver claim from the Diamondbacks in June, was used in a single inning on Aug. 4 before being optioned back to Triple-A, and when he came back up as a September roster addition, he gave up four runs in two innings.

At the time, the Tigers were 63-74 and fourth in the AL Central. Although the way the rest of September unfolded could've given Detroit a chance to sneak into the postseason, they came up short every time. For his part, Díaz was back in Toledo by Sept. 14.

He was designated for assignment during roster clearouts on Nov. 2 but, per Detroit's transactions log, went through waivers unclaimed and was outrighted to Toledo on Nov. 6.

Though Díaz didn't make much of an impression — he sort of made a bad one, even — with the Tigers in 2026, this is a sneakily good thing for the organization as a whole. They just had a slew of players leave in minor league free agency and could use the depth, and there could be more to mine in Díaz than meets the eye.

Yilber Díaz passes through waivers unclaimed and returns to Tigers organization after roster crunch

In his two appearances after the Aug. 31 blowup, he pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings with two strikeouts. In the second, he was entrusted with a longer leash with the Tigers enjoying a seven-run lead over the Rockies, pitching 1 2/3 of that total. Of course, that was against the Rockies, but a scoreless outing is a scoreless outing.

Díaz's Baseball Savant page will have Tigers fans wondering how this return could possibly be a good thing, but there's one silver lining: his fastball velocity.

Díaz is a fireballer, and the Tigers don't have a lot of those. He might be a Jordan Hicks-esque pitcher, the kind of guy who can be lethal if wielded properly but whose arm might be a little uncontrollable. Returning to the organization will at least give the Tigers a little more time to see if they can actually mine some of his potential.

At the very least, the Tigers have some much-needed depth returned to Triple-A. Díaz should be far from a candidate for the Opening Day roster unless a miracle happens this offseason, but at least Detroit has another option.

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