Tigers' rotation gets much needed boost at expense of young slugger's roster spot

All things considered, the Detroit Tigers' pitching staff has exceeded expectations this season. Led by ace Tarik Skubal in the rotation and the criminally underrated Will Vest in the bullpen, Tigers pitchers have done very well in limiting free passes and keeping games winnable while the offense does their thing. In a bit of great news, they are getting even stronger now that Reese Olson is coming back.

Olson was placed on the injured list back in May with a finger injury on his right hand that he couldn't seem to shake. The Tigers have been careful with Olson's rehab to make sure that the injury doesn't flare up again, but expectations were that he would be activated ahead of Friday's matchup against the Guardians.

That is exactly what happened as Olson was brought off the injured list. Unfortunately, the Tigers sent Justyn-Henry Malloy back down to the minors in order to make room for him.

Tigers activate Reese Olson from the injured list, option Justin-Henry Malloy to the minors

Sadly, optioning Malloy was the obvious move to make here. Not only is Malloy able to be optioned without difficulty, but he wasn't going to see much in the way of playing time in the near future as the rest of Detroit's roster is getting healthy.

Before he got hurt, Olson was putting together quite the season for the Tigers. Through nine starts in 2025, Olson had posted a 2.96 ERA while striking out more than a batter an inning. He was walking more batters that you would prefer, but there is a chance that the issues with his finger were messing with his command a good bit.

Given how good Olson looked during his rehab after a later start to his minor league assignment than was first expected, one hopes that he will be able to pick up right where he left off and continue his breakout season.

More Tigers News from Motor City Bengals