The Tigers made another roster move Sunday, and this one put James Outman right back on the DFA track.
Detroit activated Outman from the seven-day concussion injured list and designated him for assignment, the team announced. At the same time, the club selected the contract of left-hander Andrew Sears from Triple-A Toledo and sent Enmanuel De Jesus down after Saturday’s game.
Outman had been sidelined since Aug. 13 after taking a pitch off the chin against the Cleveland Guardians the day before. He started a rehab assignment with Toledo on Aug. 20, according to MLB’s transaction log, but the Tigers opted not to bring him back onto the active roster. Instead, they moved him off the 40-man roster entirely.
That marks a sharp turn for a player Detroit claimed off waivers from the Minnesota Twins on June 11, when injuries left the Tigers short in center field. Javier Báez and Parker Meadows were both out then, and Outman’s ability to handle center made him a useful defensive stopgap.
He got into 45 games with Detroit, but the offense never really came around. Outman hit .183/.240/.366 with five home runs and 14 RBI, and as the Tigers’ roster got healthier, his path to regular playing time narrowed fast.
Max Clark has since reached the majors and taken over everyday center-field work, Báez is back, and Brett Callahan has joined the big-league roster as another young outfield option. Detroit simply has more choices now than it did when Outman first arrived.
Sunday’s move also cleared room for Sears, who was expected to make his major league debut. The 23-year-old lefty has put together a 2.16 ERA with 67 strikeouts across 58.1 innings in the minors this season.
For Outman, the DFA is the latest twist in a career that looked far different just a few years ago. He broke through with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2023, when he posted a .248/.353/.437 slash line with 23 home runs and 70 RBI and finished third in National League Rookie of the Year voting.
Since then, the production has fallen off hard. Outman hit .147/.256/.265 over 53 games for Los Angeles in 2024, struggled again in 2025, and was eventually traded to Minnesota for reliever Brock Stewart.
The Twins designated him for assignment on June 6, and Detroit grabbed him five days later. Less than three months after that, the 29-year-old is back in the same spot.
A DFA doesn’t make him a free agent right away. MLB rules give Detroit seven days to trade him or put him on outright or unconditional release waivers.
He could still stay in the organization if he clears waivers and the roster process works in his favor. For now, though, the Tigers went with Sears and their changing roster picture instead of keeping Outman around for the final push.
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