Detroit Tigers part ways with John Brebbia, call up Tyler Owens

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• The Detroit Tigers designated relief pitcher John Brebbia for assignment after a series of rough outings.
• Tyler Owens has been called up from Triple-A Toledo to replace Brebbia on the active roster.

After his latest rough outing on Saturday, June 14, relief pitcher John Brebbia is being designated for assignment, the Detroit Tigers announced on Sunday, June 15.

Right-handed pitcher Tyler Owens has been called up from Triple-A Toledo to take Brebbia’s place on the active roster.

Signed in February to a one-year, $2.25 million deal, the 35-year-old Brebbia was effective early on for Detroit, allowing three hits and one earned run over his first eight appearances from March 27 to April 18. He was put on the 15-day injured list with a right triceps strain on April 19 and struggled once he returned to action on May 10.

Since returning from the IL, Brebbia has put up a 13.97 ERA over 9⅔ innings pitched in 11 appearances, most recently allowing three runs each in back-to-back late-inning appearances against the Cincinnati Reds on Friday and Saturday.

After Saturday’s game, Hinch had this to say about Brebbia: “He’s not pitching a ton, and when he gets in there, execution has been a challenge for him. His stuff can be good, and then some days, he gets in the middle-middle area of the plate, and he gets burned.”

Owens marks his second trip to the big leagues in 2025, making his MLB debut in a May 1 win against the Los Angeles Angels. He made two relief appearances in his initial stint for the Tigers, pitching a clean ninth inning on May 1 and May 2 against the Angels before optioning him to Toledo on May 3.

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Owens has had mixed results so far in 2025, having giving up no runs in his brief major league tenure but putting up a 5.74 ERA in 26⅔ innings at Toledo this season. He’s currently listed as the organization’s No. 26 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.

He says that he’s learned to be more aggressive after his first stint in the majors.

“You gotta not really pitch around guys, you just gotta try to get outs up here,” he said. “They’re going to hit theirs, and you just gotta get yours. That’s the biggest thing.”

Carpenter still being careful with hamstring

Kerry Carpenter, who has been playing through hamstring tightness for much of June, provided a pregame update on his health.

“It’s been getting better more so recently in the last week or so,” he said, saying he was still facing a mental barrier on the basepaths to reach full speed. “Running straight lines and even in the outfield have been pretty solid.”

The Tigers initially scratched Carpenter from the lineup on a June 4 game against the Chicago White Sox, with manager A.J. Hinch saying the team was just being cautious with the lefty slugger. He made a pinch-hit appearance in that game, striking out in the top of the ninth inning, and then returned to the regular lineup the next day.

Though Carpenter confirmed that the Tigers wouldn’t have him playing if they thought his condition was serious, he said he and the trainers are doing “everything we can” to make sure his leg doesn’t get worse.

He also said that his condition isn’t impacting his swing.

“Yeah, no, that’s all good there,” Carpenter said.

You can reach Christian at [email protected]