Detroit, MI
Detroit Tigers option Keider Montero. What does that mean for Reese Olson’s status?
Who should represent Detroit Tigers in MLB All-Star game?
The “Days of Roar” podcast debates which players from the Detroit Tigers should make an appearance in the 2025 MLB All-Star Game, set for July 15.
TAMPA, FL — The Detroit Tigers optioned right-hander Keider Montero to Triple-A Toledo on Friday, June 20, following his start Thursday, June 19, against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Does that mean Reese Olson is coming back?
Not so fast.
“It’s unrelated to Reese,” manager A.J. Hinch said before Friday’s opener of a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Field. “Our expectation is that he’s going to need another rehab start to continue to move forward.”
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Olson — the No. 3 starter in the Tigers’ rotation — has been sidelined for more than a month with right ring finger inflammation. The 25-year-old right-hander completed the second start of his rehab assignment Thursday with Triple-A Toledo, throwing 58 pitches.
He threw 48 pitches in his first start.
Aside from the increased pitch count, Olson advanced from throwing zero changeups in his first start to seven changeups in his second start. His finger injury forced him to stop throwing his changeup, so incorporating it into games is a big step forward.
Olson typically throws 25% changeups.
He threw 12% changeups in Thursday’s start.
“He feels really good,” Hinch said of Olson, who completed 3⅔ scoreless innings with zero walks and five strikeouts. “If he continues to take these steps, then we can start talking about when he can get back to helping us.”
Dylan Smith recalled
Replacing Montero, the Tigers recalled right-handed reliever Dylan Smith from Triple-A Toledo. The 25-year-old pitched two games for the Tigers in early June, then returned as the 27th player for Thursday’s doubleheader against the Pirates.
Smith recorded his first MLB strikeout in Game 1 — exactly 17 days after his MLB debut. He then traveled with the Tigers to Tampa on Thursday night.
“I was kind of anxious about it,” said Smith, who struck out Billy Cook swinging with a down-and-away sweeper. “I was antsy. I really wanted to get it out of the way. Now that I got it out of the way, I can focus and do what I do.”
The Tigers have chosen to operate with nine relievers in the bullpen by recalling Smith and optioning Montero — leaving just four starters in the rotation.
Since May 16, the Tigers’ bullpen ranks 25th in MLB with a 4.63 ERA.
“The value is continuing to have guys available when other guys need a blow,” Hinch said. “We’re working through things with a couple of different guys at this point of the season where having the extra arm is a good thing for us.”
There are Monday off days coming up in each of the next two weeks, and since left-hander Tarik Skubal is scheduled to start Tuesday, June 24, against the Athletics, the Tigers could skip the fifth spot in the rotation — just for one turn — before Olson returns.
“We’ll look at all of our options,” Hinch said.
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Message to Keider Montero
Now a Mud Hen, Montero registered a 4.02 ERA with 20 walks and 39 strikeouts across 56 innings in 11 games (six starts) with the Tigers in the 2025 season. His 1.393 WHIP ranks 96th among 128 MLB pitchers with at least 50 innings.
He turns 25 in early July.
“He’s been a part of this since the beginning,” Hinch said. “It’s been a little bit of a back and forth for a large portion of the season. Right now, we really need the coverage in the bullpen, and we’ll deal with the rotation moving forward as it comes.”
Montero surrendered one run on three hits and two walks with five strikeouts across five innings in Game 2 of the doubleheader, which the Tigers lost, 8-4, in 10 innings.
He has allowed two or fewer runs in six games, four of which were starts.
“We fully expect him to be back,” Hinch said. “He’s got some things to work on, but he also can take a little bit of comfort knowing that he has all of our respect, all of our admiration. He’s a good pitcher. He’s going to be back in the rotation at some point.”
John Brebbia released
The Tigers released right-handed reliever John Brebbia.
The 35-year-old was designated for assignment Sunday, June 15, after posting a 7.71 ERA across 18⅔ innings in 19 games. Now, Brebbia is eligible to sign with any team.
In February 2025, the Tigers signed Brebbia to a one-year, $2.25 million contract with a $4 million club option for the 2026 season. The Tigers are on the hook for his salary this season.
The deal didn’t work out as planned.
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After getting absolutely annihilated in his previous start on Monday in Minnesota to the tune of 11 runs in just 1.2 innings, Garrett Crochet is set to retake the mound today and convince us all that everything will be fine as far as he and his health are concerned.
Unfortunately, he won’t just be battling the Tigers. Mother Nature is once again destined to play a roll in today’s match up, and here’s how the radar looks inside of an hour from first pitch:
The good news is the initial batch of heavier precipitation has moved out and east of Boston, but more unsettled weather still lurks to the west ahead of a slow moving front. That mess will push through eastern Massachusetts over the next several hours, filling in the current dry slot. While this incoming precipitation won’t be as heavy as what fell at times earlier today, it will come attached with colder and windier conditions, so a miserable weather game lies ahead (if they even try and play through it at all — The Yankees did not and waited around for three hours before starting their game against the Royals at 4:20pm). The other option will be to just wait until after sunset when it will be dryer, but still very cold and windy.
When they do get started, today’s lineup includes Roman Anthony leading off in leftfield, Andruw Monasterio at first base, and Jarren Duran, Masataka Yoshida, and Marcelo Mayer all starting on the bench with an opposing left-handed starter on the mound in Framber Valdez for Detroit.
OTM’s own pitching guru Jacob Roy will be around later to handle the postgame wrap and tell us if we should should be freaking out or breathing a sigh a relief when it comes to Crochet.
The Pistons have made recent moves to add more shooting, but still don’t have anyone quite as lethal as former Detroit guard Luke Kennard. On Saturday night, Kennard had a brilliant start to his postseason with 27 uber-efficient points for the Lakers in a win against the Rockets. His level of 3-point accuracy is something the Pistons have desperately been seeking all season long to bolster their offense.
Luke Kennard’s shooting makes him a dangerous playoff performer
Kennard was originally drafted to Detroit with the 17th pick of the 2017 Draft. The Pistons have plenty of draft regrets from that general era of team history, but picking Kennard has never been one of them. Despite any other weaknesses he may have, his strength as a shooter has always been enough to offset them.
In terms of pure 3-point percentage, Kennard is one of the best shooters in NBA history. He averages 44% behind the arc for his career, and shot a blistering 48% this season – the best mark in the league. Given his incredible track record, it’s not exactly a shocker to see him shoot 5-of-5 from three en route to 27 points in Game 1.
Not only is Kennard obviously an excellent standstill shooter, but he’s also a master of getting himself open with his movement. On Saturday night, he was able to play off LeBron James perfectly for a few easy looks. After that, he caught enough of a rhythm to create 3-point looks for himself, even in transition.
A player like Kennard is easily capable of turning an entire playoff game when he gets hot. In a close series, that one game where Kennard hits several threes can be all the difference his team needs to advance. If the Lakers do manage to win this series, even without Luka Doncic or Austin Reaves, Kennard’s shooting will be a major reason why.
The Pistons could use someone like Kennard
Kennard would be a perfect marginal addition for the Pistons that only makes them better without taking anything away from the team. To be fair, the Pistons do have two shooters who have been hot recently in Duncan Robinson and Kevin Huerter. But having more than one respected shooter on the court at a time is often necessary to maintain a solid offense in today’s NBA.
Given the Pistons’ current lack of shooting, any additional shooters are welcome. And Kennard is understandably one of the most feared shooters in the league, capable of bending defenses just by the threat of him taking a three. Rolling him out on the Pistons would surely open up more lanes for Detroit’s stars to attack the paint and score easier points.
Follow
A Detroit woman was arrested in the aftermath of a hit-and-run collision and shooting on Interstate 94, Michigan State Police reported.
Emergency dispatchers were called shortly after midnight Saturday about the altercation. Troopers reported the caller said while they were driving eastbound on I-94, near Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, a black Jeep sideswiped them and sped off.
The caller then decided to follow the Jeep.
In response, police said, the driver of the Jeep fired several gunshots in the caller’s direction.
None of the gunshots struck the vehicle.
Troopers were able to use license plate reader camera technology to locate the Jeep while it was on the Lodge Freeway, made a traffic stop. The driver and two passengers were taken into custody without incident.
The passengers were released shortly afterwards; troopers believe that the 19-year-old driver was the shooter. She has been lodged pending further review by the prosecutor’s office.
In addition, a firearm was recovered from the vehicle.
The above video originally aired on Aug. 19, 2025.
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