Jackson Wolf wasn’t the name that grabbed headlines when the Tigers dealt Casey Mize, and that’s exactly why his emergence has caught attention now.
Detroit’s return from San Diego was always going to draw less heat than the haul from the Tarik Skubal trade, so the two players coming back for Mize arrived with a pretty modest reception. The Tigers had to move Mize after Skubal went to the Dodgers, and at minimum they landed a pitching prospect to help a system that was short on arms.
Kash Mayfield came in as San Diego’s No. 2 prospect and slotted in at No. 8 in Detroit’s system, but his Tigers debut never happened because he wound up on High-A West Michigan’s injured list first.
Wolf, the other piece, came in with even less fanfare. He wasn’t ranked in the Padres’ pipeline, and his only big league appearance in 2023 - against the Tigers, of all teams - was solid without really changing anyone’s view of him. San Diego clearly didn’t see him as part of its future rotation plans.
His Triple-A numbers didn’t help the case much either. He finished his time in El Paso with a 7.05 ERA across 89 1/3 innings, which made a late-season move up with Detroit feel like a long shot rather than a likely outcome.
But since joining the Tigers organization, Wolf has been a different pitcher. In six appearances, five of them starts, he’s put up a 1.63 ERA, a 0.94 WHIP and 35 strikeouts in 27 2/3 innings.
He first popped on Tigers Twitter because of that wild, over-the-top windup - and yes, he does it every time unless he’s working from the stretch - but the novelty has faded a bit now that he’s been doing real damage with Toledo. Outside of an awkward 3 2/3-inning outing on Aug. 21, when he allowed five runs and only one earned, he hasn’t really had a clunker.
The Tigers’ 2027 rotation already looks largely mapped out, especially if Reese Olson is healthy enough to make the Opening Day roster, but Wolf may force his way into the big league conversation as a reliever next season.
For a Detroit pitching group that has struggled to develop or sharpen arms, Wolf has been a welcome twist. He may have been the least exciting of the four pitchers acquired in the Skubal and Mize trades, but he’s making a strong case that he was judged too quickly.
In Other News...
Tigers Suddenly Face A Wenceel Perez Problem They Can't Ignore
Wenceel Prezs season has hit an unexpected stop at exactly the wrong time for Detroit, with an orbital bone injury from a postgame workout ending his year and knocking him out of baseball activities for now. He is still rehabbing, but the Tigers have been left to sort through a roster picture that already has other moving parts, including Keider Montero headed for the paternity list.
Jack Flaherty is lined up for a simulated game and could be activated soon, while Justin Verlander is set to throw off a mound without facing hitters, so the pitching side keeps inching forward. Even so, Prezs absence lingers as a separate concern because the injury removes an outfield option the club had been counting on, and the longer he stays away from baseball work, the harder it is for Detroit to know what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Justin Verlander Just Took A Step Tigers Fans Have Been Waiting On
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Detroit still has not put a specific return date on Verlander, but the club remains hopeful he can make a late-season appearance if the ramp-up keeps trending in the right direction. Jack Flaherty also took part in a simulated game as he works his way back from right flexor tendon inflammation, giving the Tigers two important rehab watch points as they try to sort out the final stretch of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Rookies Are Changing The Pressure This Team Can Create On Bases
The Tigers have been trying to turn their youth movement into something more than just fresh legs, and Ben Malgeri has given them a glimpse of what that can look like. The rookie has brought real speed to the basepaths, and Detroit has seen enough from him to believe the running game can become a bigger part of how this team pressures opponents once the young players settle in.
AJ Hinch has made clear the organization wants confidence and aggression to grow together, especially with rookies learning how quickly the game changes at this level. Max Clark and Kevin McGonigle have shown the kind of baserunning ability that fits that approach, even if they have been more cautious so far, which leaves the Tigers waiting to see just how far this group can push an already interesting part of their offense. [Read more 🡒]