Tigers Activate John Brebbia From Injured List Ahead of Series Against Rangers

The Detroit Tigers bullpen is getting a boost ahead of a huge series this weekend against the Texas Rangers.

Detroit Tigers pitcher John Brebbia (49) throws against New York Yankees during the ninth inning at Comerica Park in Detroit on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Detroit Tigers have made some major news on Friday afternoon as to what their bullpen is going to look like this weekend.

According to an announcement from the team, the Tigers have activated right-hander John Brebbia from the 15-day injured list after being out since April 19 with a right triceps strain.

In a corresponding move, the team optioned outfielder Brewer Hicklen back to Triple-A Toledo after he recorded the first hit of his career on Thursday night against the Colorado Rockies.

Getting Brebbia back offers a major boost to the bullpen after he was off to a dominant start to the year.

In eight appearances this season, which have been comprised of nine innings pitched, Brebbia has pitched to a 1.00 ERA and 0.889 WHIP, looking unhittable after Detroit gave him a Major League contract this past winter.

Despite being designated for assignment last year by the Chicago White Sox, Brebbia did enough to impress the Tigers.

Handing him a deal worth $2.25 million in order to get him in the fold, that gamble looked like it was paying off with the way Brebbia was throwing the ball in the early portion of the season.

Detroit takes on the Texas Rangers this weekend in a three-game set at Comerica Park, and now it seems their group of relievers is back at full strength.

Entering the series, the Tigers had a collective bullpen ERA of 2.43, good for second in all of baseball.

With Brebbia back, things could start to get even better.