Learn About Tigers Latest Roster Addition As Bailey Horn Heads to 60-Day IL
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It hasn't been an ideal journey for 28-year-old relief pitcher Bailey Horn in the majors. Since his debut in 2024, Horn has only pitched in 28 combined games between 2024 and 2025. Now Horn is headed to the Detroit Tigers' 60-day injured list after a setback from an offseason surgery.
Since Horn was removed from the 40-man roster, a spot opened up for a veteran reliever: Burch Smith. This is Smith's first season with the Tigers organization, and the ballclub is begging for another arm in the bullpen that they can count on.
After posting a 1.80 ERA in Triple-A Toledo in '26, Smith could be a great asset to the organization. If Smith wants it, this is a real opportunity for him to take on a heavy workload as a key reliever for a top team.
Get To Know Burch Smith
It was 2011 when Smith was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 14th round, and two years later, he made his debut for the Padres. But his road through the majors has been rocky at best as he has played for seven teams since then (the Tigers are his eighth).
A Tommy John surgery kept him from the game in 2015 and 2016, which always derails a pitcher's career in some way, especially a pitcher who hasn't established himself like Burch had not. But Burch is apparently aging like fine wine as he is starting to gain momentum in his later years.
Since being a part of the Tigers' farm system, Smith has pitched in eight games and 10 innings, where he has that beautiful sub-2.00 ERA as he holds batters to a .114 average to complement 16 strikeouts.
A Need for Another Arm
The biggest highlight for the Tigers' bullpen is easily Kyle Finnegan, who has yet to allow a run in the 10 games that he has been used in. But Finnegan cannot, unfortunately, pitch in every single game that Detroit plays.
Since earned runs became an official statistic in 1913, only two Tigers pitchers have had a sub-1.00 ERA over their first 26 regular season games with the franchise.
— Tigers PR (@DetroitTigersPR) April 20, 2026
Kyle Finnegan (2025-26): 0.96 ERA
José Valverde (2010): 0.36 ERA#DNMW pic.twitter.com/UzqScKxtT2
Will Vest is another reliever who has been used in the same number of games as Finnegan, but his ERA is 5.00. Drew Anderson, on the other hand, has pitched in fewer games but more innings, and his ERA is creeping up on 8.00.
The Tigers have a rough stretch ahead as they go on the road to face the Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves. Detroit hasn't performed the best when they leave Comerica Park, so it is safe to say that the Tigers, as well as Smith, will have their work cut out for them the rest of the month.
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Maddy Dickens resides in Loveland, Colorado. She grew up with two older brothers, where their lives revolved around sports. She earned a master's degree in business management from Tarleton State University while simultaneously playing basketball and competing in rodeo at the collegiate level. She successfully parlayed a reserve national championship into a professional rodeo career and now stays involved in upper-level athletics by writing for On SI on several different MLB teams' pages, along with some NCAA sites.