Detroit, MI
Detroit Tigers option Keider Montero. What does that mean for Reese Olson’s status?

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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.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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Detroit, MI
Detroit Tigers give up 19 hits in 15-7 blowout loss to Seattle Mariners

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Before the Detroit Tigers’ game against the Seattle Mariners on Saturday, July 12, starting pitcher Casey Mize had not given up more than four earned runs in a game throughout his 2025 All-Star season.
He gave up five earned runs in the third inning alone on Saturday. And then the Mariners added a whole lot more later on.
Much like his All-Star teammate Tarik Skubal did on Friday, July 11, Mize put in his worst start of the year right before the All-Star break as the Tigers lost 15-7 to the Mariners at Comerica Park. It was the most runs the Tigers have allowed in a game this season.
Mize finished the game allowing six earned runs on six hits over three innings pitched. It was Mize’s shortest outing of the season by both innings and pitch count (68), as he raised his season ERA from 2.63 to 3.15 on Saturday.
The crushing blow of the afternoon was a three-run home run from Seattle first baseman Luke Raley in the fifth inning, which gave the Mariners a 6-1 lead. But the team had already established their offensive rhythm well before.
Down 1-0 in the top of the second inning, the Mariners tied the game after left fielder Randy Arozarena led off the inning with a single and a stolen base. Mize got the next two batters out, but Mariners right fielder Dominic Canzone drove Arozarena in with a well-struck single up the middle on the first pitch he faced.
After a double from Mariners second baseman Cole Young led off the third inning, shortstop J.P. Crawford broke the tie with an RBI single, giving Seattle a 2-1 lead. Later in the inning, catcher Cal Raleigh drove center fielder Julio Rodríguez in with a sacrifice fly to right field, Rodríguez initially finding himself on third base after a bad throw from catcher Jake Rogers gave Rodríguez a steal of second base and an advancement to third base.
The running game played a critical role early on for the Mariners, with both of Seattle’s runs initially getting into scoring position via a stolen base. Both Rodríguez and Arozarena each attempted two steals in the first three innings, with the Tigers only turning one of those attempts into an out after Mize picked off Rodríguez at second base in the first inning
Righty Keider Montero entered the game for Mize in the fourth inning with the Tigers down 6-1. A one-out, RBI single from Rodríguez off Montero in the fourth scored third baseman Ben Williamson from first, giving the Mariners a 7-1 lead.
Rodríguez added his second home run of the series in the sixth inning, a solo shot off Montero that gave the Mariners an 8-4 lead, while a two-out RBI from Williamson in the seventh gave the Mariners their ninth run of the game. Arozarena’s two-run shot in the eighth gave the Mariners their 11th run, their second straight game with double-digit runs against the Tigers after scoring 12 on Friday.
A bases-clearing double from Crawford highlighted a four-run ninth as the Mariners set their season-high in runs. The Mariners offense also registered 19 hits on Saturday, their highest total in a game in 2025.
Tigers bats can’t keep up despite Greene’s 4 RBIs
Tigers left fielder Riley Greene had his seventh game with at least 4 RBIs on Saturday, but they marked a big part of a Tigers offensive output that fell short against Seattle.
With the Tigers down 7-1 in the fifth inning, Greene poked a George Kirby splitter to left field, just far enough to clear the wall for a three-run home run, his 23rd of the season. The home run gave Greene his 77th RBI of the year, eclipsing his previous career high (74 in 2024) in 43 fewer games played.
It brought the Tigers back into the game with the lineup struggling through the first four innings. But it wasn’t nearly enough to keep up with Seattle.
After Colt Keith walked to lead off the first inning, Gleyber Torres smacked a double to the gap in left-center field, extending his career-high on-base streak to 24 games. It’s the longest active on-base streak in the American League and is the first time a Tiger has had a 24-game on-base streak since Kerry Carpenter from Aug. 2-28 of the 2023 season.
Greene drove Keith in two batters later on a shallow fly ball to left field to make it a 1-0 game. Arozarena caught the ball on the run but sailed a throw to home plate that catcher Cal Raleigh couldn’t reach, allowing Torres to reach third.
Spencer Torkelson then reached after getting hit in the arm and Zach McKinstry loaded the bases after a walk, but Matt Vierling couldn’t turn in a two-out RBI, grounding into a fielder’s choice to end the inning with the Tigers ahead.
It was the only lead the Tigers had all game.
A seventh-inning RBI single from Wenceel Pérez and a two-run home run from McKinstry in the eighth brought the Tigers back within four runs, as they cut Seattle’s lead to 11-7. A walk to Colt Keith brought the tying run in Gleyber Torres to the plate with one out, but a soft lineout against Mariners’ reliever Matt Brash and a groundout from Pérez ended the threat.
With the loss, the Tigers tied their season-worst losing streak at three games. They look to avoid the sweep against the Mariners on Sunday, July 13, with first pitch at Comerica Park scheduled for 1:10 p.m. ET.
You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com
Detroit, MI
Tarik Skubal stung by Seattle Mariners early, and then bullpen blows up in 12-3 loss

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The Detroit Tigers didn’t get the usual pinpoint control from ace Tarik Skubal in their series opener against the Seattle Mariners.
It hardly mattered by the ninth inning, with the Mariners scoring seven runs in the frame, highlighted by a Cal Raleigh grand slam (his second of the game) to give the M’s star an MLB-leading 38 homers on the season.
But it was the Mariners’ other slugger that gave them the lead for good.
On a 1-2 count in the top of the fifth, with the Tigers already down by two, Skubal hung a changeup to Mariners center fielder Julio Rodríguez. The slugger did not miss, sending the pitch 440 feet from home plate beyond the Little Caesars logo in left-center field.
It ended up as the deciding blow in the Mariners’ 12-3 win over the Tigers on Friday, July 11, at Comerica Park. Skubal allowed four earned runs against the Mariners after two consecutive scoreless starts (on June 29 and July 6), a less-than-ideal way for the ace to enter the All-Star break.
“I felt like I was fighting myself all day,” Skubal said. “Couldn’t get into a rhythm, for whatever reason.”
He finished the start allowing four hits and four earned runs in five innings, striking out five batters and walking two. And in a sign of things to come, his control seemed off from the very first batter.
Skubal hit Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford with his second pitch of the game on a wayward sinker, marking the first time in his career that Skubal has hit a batter to lead off a game. He forced consecutive ground balls from Rodríguez and Raleigh, however, with the one from Raleigh an inning-ending double play to keep the Mariners off the scoreboard in the first inning.
“I put us in a hole early. And as the starting pitcher, you try to keep your team in the game as long as possible. And I just didn’t do my job today,” he said.
Skubal allowed his first run in the second inning off a triple from first baseman Donovan Solano that got by a diving Parker Meadows in center field. The hit scored second baseman Jorge Polanco from first base, giving the Mariners a 1-0 lead, and it might have scored a second run had any Mariner but the slow-footed Solano hit it.
It was the first run Skubal had allowed in 18 innings, with his previous run allowed coming off a two-run home run from Athletics’ center fielder Denzel Clark on June 24.
Crawford was on the receiving end of another Skubal rarity in the third inning, drawing a one-out walk. Skubal, who entered the game with the lowest walk rate among all qualified starters (1.09 per nine innings), hadn’t walked a batter since his June 29 start against the Minnesota Twins.
Skubal’s second earned run of the game came off a two-out RBI single from Crawford in the bottom of the fifth. His next two came off one swing, the towering home run from Rodríguez on the next at-bat that made the score 4-1 in favor of Seattle.
This is the fifth loss the Tigers have recorded on a Skubal start and the first since a 1-0 loss against the Kansas City Royals on May 31. This is also the first time in 2025 the Tigers have lost a Skubal start by more than one run, and Skubal’s first loss since early April; he had won 10 consecutive decisions.
“It’s a good reminder these guys are human, and they’re going to have some of these games where they’re not at their best,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said.
Skubal’s next start might be at the 2025 All-Star Game at Truist Park in Atlanta. Although American League manager Aaron Boone has not indicated who he will choose as his starting pitcher, the AL Cy Young favorite stands as a likely choice for the honor.
The four earned runs raised Skubal’s ERA from 2.02 to 2.23 on the season.
Tigers bats not quite hot enough
The Tigers offense, mostly silent through the first three innings with three total baserunners, got the first two runners on in the fourth via a Torres walk and Wenceel Pérez single. A soft flyout from Riley Greene and a strikeout from Spencer Torkelson looked like it would end the threat, especially with Zach McKinstry initially called out on strikes in what appeared to end the inning.
However, the umpires had a quick conference and determined that McKinstry’s whiff was actually a foul tip that hit the ground, allowing the inning to continue. The All-Star wasted no time with his do-over, dropping the next pitch into center field for an RBI single to tie the game at 1. Catcher Dillon Dingler reached first via a hit-by-pitch on the next at-bat to load the bases for Parker Meadows, but Meadows struck out to end the inning, ending the Tigers’ threat.
Mariners starter Luis Castillo outdueled his opponent, allowing three earned runs and six hits over five innings, striking out six Tigers.
“For a while, we didn’t put two really good at-bats together back-to-back, hardly at all. And that’s because Castillo was controlling the tempo and the timing and the barrel contact,” said Hinch.
A no-out Greene triple off Castillo in the sixth inning cut the score to 4-2, scoring Pérez from third base. Torkelson’s sacrifice fly to left field scored Greene and made it a one-run game, though Torkelson’s flyout was only a few feet away from clearing the left-center wall and tying the game.
Greene finished 2-for-4 with an RBI, while Pérez finished 2-for-3 with a run.
Comedy in the ninth
A bullpen relay of Tyler Holton, Carlos Hernández and Brant Hurter gave up a combined eight runs in the eighth and ninth innings, giving the Mariners a comfortable lead as the game approached its conclusion.
In a treat for those who stayed through the blowout, Tigers catcher Jake Rogers entered to pitch with one out in the ninth for his second pitching appearance of the season. His first came in a June 14 game against the Cincinnati Reds, which the Tigers lost, 11-1.
Rogers got Solano to ground out before hitting Luke Raley with a pitch in the next at-bat. He then induced third baseman Ben Williamson to line out to left to complete his first career scoreless outing.
The Tigers next face the Mariners on Saturday, July 12, with first pitch scheduled for 1:10 p.m.
You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com
Detroit, MI
A ‘great’ Detroit father’s final wish gets granted — as helicopter drops money and rose petals from the sky

Making it rain one last time.
A Detroit man’s dying wish to have thousands of dollars fall from the sky by helicopter as his “last blessing” to his community was honored by his family last month.
Darrell “Plant” Thomas, a 58-year-old car wash owner in East Detroit known for his generosity, died after a battle with Alzheimer’s on June 15, and wanted to have a dramatic send–off.
At his funeral on June 27, his sons organized a helicopter to drop $5,000 and rose petals on unsuspecting mourners as they honored their father at the event held on Gratiot Avenue and Connor Street.
“This was a final expression of love from him to the community because he was a giver,” Thomas’s niece, Crystal Perry, told the Detroit Free Press.
“Yesterday was simply a farewell tribute to an Eastside legend.”
Footage from the event shows a helicopter hovering in a clear blue sky, while petals and money rain down, causing people to scream with excitement and rush to catch them on the ground.
In other videos, people are seen happily scooping up bills from the street, bending down to grab handfuls of cash as it floated across the pavement.
Traffic along the six-lane road of Gratiot Avenue came to a standstill for several minutes as funeral goers and onlookers rushed to grab some of the cash.
However, instead of turning into mayhem with people trying to fill their pockets, the crowd remained calm as they went for the money.
“Everybody got a little bit,” Lisa Knife, an employee at the nearby Airport Express Lube & Service, told the Detroit News of the surreal scene.
Knife said she didn’t rush to grab the money, but took the moment to admire how the gesture brought members of the Motor City community together.
“There was no fighting, none of that. It was really beautiful,” Knife said.
One of Thomas’s sons, Dante — better known as “Smoke” — told Fox 2 Detroit that he added some of his own cash and that the gesture was the least they could do to honor a man so beloved in his community.
“Detroit, y’all might not know who my father was, but he was a great father,” Smoke said.
“Among his community he was a legend, and he blessed everyone and that was his last blessing to everyone. That’s all it was. Many blessings to everyone and long live Plant. Long live Plant that’s it.”
The Detroit Police Department briefly closed off traffic to allow the crowd to enjoy Thomas’s final send-off safely. They were aware of the rose petals — but said they were surprised by the money.
Police said they are not investigating the incident. However, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has launched an investigation.
Thomas owned Showroom Shine Express, a business he poured his heart into for decades, and was known to many as a passionate professional race car driver with the National Hot Rod Association.
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