One Veteran Reliever Who Could Quietly Become Important for the Detroit Tigers
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The Detroit Tigers found a way to get back into the win column on Sunday night, defeating the Kansas City Royals 6-3. It snapped a five-game losing streak and puts Detroit at 19-22 on the campaign.
One key reason the Tigers were able to break the losing streak was Gage Workman, as he hit his first MLB home run to give Detroit the lead. Adding new faces through the season is normal; the Tigers are only hopeful that Workman will stick around to continue helping the franchise win some games.
One area that has been inconsistent for the Tigers has been their bullpen. They brought up Workman to help out the lineup, and it paid off, which means that the front office could make a change to a struggling bullpen arm with a recently signed veteran with a World Series ring.
How Carl Edwards Jr Can Quietly Help Detroit
In a signing that flew under the radar for the Tigers, Carl Edwards Jr was designated for assignment by the New York Mets (to the confusion of many Mets fans, given their struggles) earlier this season, and now finds himself in Triple-A with the Toledo Mud Hens.
Edwards Jr. has had a solid MLB career, spanning 12 years with several franchises. The most notable franchise Edwards played for was the Chicago Cubs, helping them win the 2016 World Series alongside now-reunited teammate Javier Baez.
The bullpen got the job done against the Royals in the series finale, but there are still some shaky portions that could be replaced as May continues. For example, Enmanuel De Jesus pitched well on Sunday night, but has struggled in the past. He was called up for an injury replacement anyway.
Edwards Jr would be a veteran arm to add to the bullpen who could eat innings and limit hard contact, something Detroit needs on the mound right now with all the injuries they have.
He played in two games for the Mets earlier this season before being DFA'd and held a 1.50 ERA with 11 strikeouts in six innings of work. For some reason, New York let him go, but with numbers like that, the Tigers aren't complaining with him being available.
Edwards' numbers in Triple-A so far haven't been terrific, posting a 5.29 ERA in 17.0 innings of work with 13 strikeouts to 11 walks. He's yet to pitch for the Mud Hens as of May 11, so things could look different the next time he takes the mound.
Additionally, Edwards hasn't pitched in more than 10 MLB games since the 2023 season, where he played with the Washington Nationals and held a 3.69 ERA across 32 games.
The Tigers have some veterans in the bullpen of a wide variety, and while Edwards might not be on the call-up list at the moment, it wouldn't be surprising to see Edwards take the ball at some point for Detroit this season.
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Dominic Minchella is a 2024 Eastern Michigan University graduate with a BA in Communications, Media, and Theatre Arts and a Journalism minor. He covers Major League Baseball for On SI and spends his free time watching games and sharing his insights.