The Tigers made it official: Will Vest is going to the 60-day injured list, a corresponding move that also cleared a 40-man roster spot for newly signed right-hander Troy Watson. It's a paperwork transaction on the surface, but it confirms what Detroit fans have been bracing for since the start of July — their bullpen is running without one of its most trusted arms deep into the summer.
Tigers Transfer Will Vest To 60-Day IL, Select Troy Watson t.co/dk08U59bwu
Vest first landed on the IL on July 1 with posterior elbow inflammation after feeling discomfort following an outing against the Astros in late June. That diagnosis later got worse: Vest is dealing with a stress fracture in his throwing elbow. The good news is it doesn't require surgery, just time. The bad news is the 60-day placement is retroactive to June 28, which pushes his realistic return timeline into late August at the earliest — right in the thick of a playoff race.
Vest's absence stings more than the transaction itself suggests. He racked up 24 saves last season and entered 2026 as part of a three-headed committee with Kenley Jansen and Kyle Finnegan, all of whom had at least 20 saves in 2025. With Jansen signed as the presumptive closer and Vest struggling before the injury hit, Detroit was already leaning on its other high-leverage arms — now they'll have to do it without him for the better part of two months.
As for Watson, the corresponding roster addition, the 29-year-old righty is a former late-round Blue Jays draft pick who reached Triple-A in 2023 before landing with Detroit's organization in a trade. He'd posted a strong 3.33 ERA over 46 innings at Toledo this season, and interest from a team overseas reportedly pushed the Tigers to add him to the 40-man rather than risk losing him. He was immediately optioned back down, so this isn't a call-up story — it's a depth-protection move, plain and simple.
None of it changes the bigger picture for Detroit's bullpen: a group that was supposed to be a strength is now navigating a stretch run without one of its steadiest late-inning arms. Watson gives the org a fresh live arm in the pipeline, but the real storyline is the clock now ticking on Vest's recovery. Late August is the target — whether the Tigers are still fighting for a playoff spot when he's ready to help will decide how much this all ends up mattering.