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Tarik Skubal helped the Detroit Tigers snap a six-game losing streak in his last outing. On Saturday, Detroit is calling on the reigning Cy Young Award winner to end the team’s current five-game skid. The Tigers have struggled mightily after a dominant start this season. Detroit has now lost 11 of its last 12 games.
Relief pitching has been a major area of concern during the slump and rumors persist that the Tigers will bolster the bullpen at the trade deadline. While a trade could still be in the works, Detroit took a step toward addressing the issue by signing veteran reliever Luke Jackson on Saturday, per Tigers PR on X.
Jackson spent the first half of 2025 with the Texas Rangers. However, Texas designated him for assignment earlier this week and, after passing through waivers, Jackson was unconditionally released on Friday. Detroit quickly pounced, picking up the right-handed relief pitcher.
Tigers add World Series champion to bullpen
The Rangers signed Jackson to a one-year, $1.5 million deal over the offseason and Texas remains on the hook for his salary. The Tigers get Jackson on a prorated portion of the league minimum. And, because Detroit added him after he cleared waivers, the team isn’t beholden to the performance-based incentives that were part of Jackson’s contract with the Rangers.
Even though he started just six days ago, Skubal was on paternity leave from Detroit. To make room for the ace’s return to the roster and the addition of Jackson, the team optioned Keider Montero to Triple-A, per the team’s PR post. Montero allowed six runs (5 earned) over four innings in Friday’s loss to the Blue Jays.
Jackson has struggled over the last two seasons in stints with the Giants, Braves and Rangers. In 2025, he posted a 4.11 ERA and 1.457 WHIP in 39 appearances for Texas. However, he’s demonstrated his effectiveness as a reliever as recently as 2023 when he had a 2.97 ERA, 142 ERA+ and 11.6 K/9 in 33 1/3 innings for San Francisco.
In 2021, Jackson was a pivotal member of the pitching staff that helped the Atlanta Braves win the World Series. He had a 1.98 ERA and 220 ERA+ with 70 strikeouts in 63 2/3 innings for Atlanta. He then proved his mettle with a strong performance against the Astros in the World Series, striking out four batters while allowing just one hit and no walks in 3 2/3 scoreless innings.
Detroit hopes Jackson can return to form and help the team right the ship after a rocky stretch. While fans anticipate additional moves to bolster the bullpen, the Tigers are taking a conservative approach to the trade deadline.
