Is Detroit Tigers’ Kevin McGonigle MLB ready? Geoff Pontes evaluates
On “Days of Roar” podcast, Baseball America prospect writer Geoff Pontes evaluates if Kevin McGonigle is ready for his MLB debut in the 2025 season.
Right-handed reliever Chris Paddack — who recently moved from the starting rotation to the bullpen — has returned to the Detroit Tigers from the bereavement list.
He left the Tigers for three days after the death of a family member.
To accommodate for Paddack’s return, the Tigers optioned designated hitter Justyn-Henry Malloy to Triple-A Toledo on Saturday, Sept. 6, before the second of three games in the series against the Chicago White Sox at Comerica Park.
“It’s tough luck for him with how the roster is right now, where we have our strengths,” manager A.J. Hinch said before Saturday’s game. “We tried to show him that we believe in him and that I’m going to use him in the role which I did for the games that he was here.”
In three games, Malloy went 1-for-2 with one walk across three plate appearances. The 25-year-old didn’t start in any of the four games while he was on the active roster, though he came off the bench in three games, including twice as a pinch-hitter.
The Tigers called on Malloy as a pinch-hitter Friday, Sept. 5, in a 7-5 loss to the White Sox, replacing Parker Meadows for a favorable matchup with left-handed reliever Tyler Gilbert with two outs in the seventh inning. He drew a walk to extend the inning, but the Tigers failed to score.
Malloy also recorded an RBI double on Tuesday, Sept. 2, in a 12-5 loss to the New York Mets at Comerica Park, along with playing first base for the first time in his MLB career.
As for Paddack, he returns to the Tigers after spending three days with his family.
The 29-year-old owns a 5.37 ERA in the 2025 season, including a 6.89 ERA across 31⅓ innings in seven games (six starts) since the Tigers traded for him from the Minnesota Twins at the July 31 trade deadline. In his first relief appearance, he surrendered six runs over 1⅓ innings in Tuesday’s 12-5 loss to the Mets.
Paddack has a 4.63 ERA in his seven-year MLB career, spanning 113 games (109 starts).
“I think he got to take a breath on both sides,” Hinch said. “Having to experience the loss in his family is one thing, and then the reset button for the pitching is totally secondary, but him stepping away for a couple of days and getting time with his family as the most vulnerable time on both sides of his life was key.”
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By optioning Malloy, the Tigers put their 28-man roster at 14 pitchers and 14 position players.
The Tigers already have two position players in Malloy’s role on their active roster, as both designated hitter Jahmai Jones and infielder Andy Ibáñez serve as right-handed hitters who thrive against left-handed pitchers.
In 2025, Malloy is hitting .214 with one home run, 20 walks and 31 strikeouts in 49 games for the Tigers, posting a .643 OPS. He also is hitting .317 with a .934 OPS in 66 games for Triple-A Toledo, which is where he will play until the Tigers call him up again.
“We’ll see what happens the rest of this month,” Hinch said. “There’s a lot of baseball left to play. There are decisions to be made along the way, depending on how things shake out. Mentally more than physically, we got to make sure we keep him ready. He’s fully committed.”
Reese Olson throws for 1st time
Right-hander Reese Olson (right shoulder strain) initiated a return-to-play throwing progression at some point before Friday’s game, which means he is throwing for the first time since suffering a right shoulder injury.
The 26-year-old has already been ruled out for the regular season.
Is there still hope that Olson can contribute for the Tigers in the postseason? (Here are two dates to know: There are five weeks until the ALCS begins Oct. 12 and seven weeks until the World Series begins Oct. 24.)
A return in 2025 seems unlikely.
“We don’t know what it really means,” Hinch said. “It’s just the next step in his rehab. He’s playing light catch. We’ll build up tolerance. He’s doing all of his work in the training room and weight room, and now it’s going to be on the field doing a little bit of catch. It’s just really premature to know anything more than that. Obviously, we hope to play as long as possible this season. To say where he’s going to be even next week or the week after or the week after, I just don’t know, but I know it’s the next step of his rehab, regardless. That’s a good sign. It’s just not a sign of knowing what’s possible.”
Contact Evan Petzold at [email protected] or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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