As the postseason gets rolling, one former Tiger has turned a fresh start into a real problem for Detroit. Jahmai Jones has gone from a brutal opening stretch with the Tigers to a major late-season spark for the Red Sox, and now he’s headed into October with Boston.
That creates a tough little twist for the Tigers. Jones was absolutely someone Detroit had to move on from after the way his season began.
But once he landed with the Red Sox in mid-July, he looked like a different hitter. Boston went 21-16 in the games he played, and Jones finished as a plus contributor with a 0.8 WAR.
The numbers in Boston jump off the page. He posted a .993 OPS with the Red Sox, hit .308 in 65 at-bats, and reached base at a .408 clip.
For a player who had been buried by his early-season struggles in Detroit, it was a full-on rebound. Jones had hit .137 with a .440 OPS in 57 games for the Tigers, and Detroit was 20-36 in the games when he recorded an at-bat.
What makes the turnaround sting a little more for Tigers fans is that this wasn’t some random hot week. Jones caught fire immediately in Boston, putting up a 1.278 OPS in July and then following it with a 1.284 OPS and .474 average in August.
September brought him back to earth some - he hit .182 with a .614 OPS over 33 at-bats - but the damage was done. He’s back in the playoffs, and he’s arriving there with momentum.
It also fits into a broader former-Tigers storyline this October. Casey Mize and Tarik Skubal both landed with playoff teams at the trade deadline, though Mize was left off the Padres’ Wild Card roster.
Skubal stayed strong after moving to the Dodgers, posting a 3.00 ERA in August and a 2.25 ERA in September, even if his WHIP crept over 1.00 and he had to adjust at times. Mize had a rougher run with San Diego, finishing with a 7.46 ERA and 1.68 WHIP after a 2.70 ERA with Detroit through the first three months, along with 25 strikeouts in 44 innings.
Jake Rogers is part of that group too, but Jones is the one who stands out as the biggest surprise. He’s the guy who went from being dumped after a terrible start to suddenly looking like one of Boston’s better late-season bets.
And now he gets to keep hitting - just not for Detroit.
In Other News...
Tigers Offseason Shakeup May Be Just Getting Started
The Tigers are opening the winter with a notable bit of staff turnover, declining to bring back first base coach Anthony Sanders and assistant pitching coach Juan Nieves for the 2027 season. The move is a small but telling sign that the clubs offseason may not be limited to roster tweaks, especially with the organization still sorting out how it wants the dugout and coaching room to look going forward.
Nieves had been in the Tigers system since 2018 and moved up to the major league staff in 2021, so his exit closes a fairly long chapter in the pitching side of the operation. Even so, George Lombard, Chris Fetter and Billy Boyer are expected to stay put, which suggests Detroit is adjusting around the edges for now rather than tearing anything down completely. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Face Troubling Comerica Park Allegation After Opponent Injury
A midsummer game at Comerica Park has turned into a legal matter for the Tigers and the stadiums operators after Athletics infielder and outfielder Zack Gelof filed suit over an injury he says happened on July 9, 2026. Gelof was hurt while sliding to catch a foul ball and struck an exposed metal fence, a jolt that left him with a deep laceration and kept him out for about a month.
The lawsuit names the Tigers, Ilitch Holdings, Inc., and the Detroit-Wayne County Stadium Authority, and it centers on the claim that the hazard at the park should have been avoided with proper padding. For the organization, it is a reminder that even an on-field scramble can quickly become a broader question of stadium safety, and the case now adds an unwelcome layer to what happened that night. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Still Face One Big Pitching Question This Offseason
After a season in which Detroit dealt away Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize for future pieces, the Tigers head into the winter with a pitching staff that still needs sorting. The biggest decisions are less about the top of the rotation than the edges of it, where the club has to weigh which veterans fit the next stage of the roster and which arms are best left to the open market.
Six players are set for unrestricted free agency, and the list includes Jack Flaherty along with pitchers Drew Anderson and closer Kenley Jansen, both of whom have club options. Anderson and Jansen look like the likelier returnees, while Tyler Kinley and Burch Smith do not appear to be strong candidates to stay. Even with some of the bullpen picture taking shape, Detroit still has one major pitching question hanging over the offseason: how much of this group it wants to carry forward. [Read more 🡒]