It might only be the start of September, but the Detroit Tigers aren’t playing any games with their roster, including the starting rotation. The Tigers called up Justyn-Henry Malloy and Shane Lee from the minors on Monday to see if they could help them win the AL Central division title and a top-two seed in the AL.
Then on Tuesday afternoon, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch made a much-needed change to their rotation. According to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, the Tigers moved veteran starting pitcher Chris Paddack to the bullpen.
Chris Paddack has been moved to the #Tigers' bullpen, manager A.J. Hinch said. He is no longer in the starting rotation.
— Evan Petzold (@EvanPetzold) September 2, 2025
When this decision was announced, Detroit fans were shocked that it wasn’t Charlie Morton, who has been equally as bad and was rocked in his last start on Monday against the New York Mets.
Chris Paddack Has Been a Trade Bust Since Joining Detroit at Deadline
Nonetheless, it was only a matter of time before Detroit decided it was time to end Paddack’s time in the starting rotation.
The right-handed starting pitcher was acquired at the trade deadline in July from the Minnesota Twins. The Tigers paid a notable price, sending 19-year-old prospect Enrique Jimenez, who was the 14th-ranked prospect in their farm system.
The Tigers desperately needed backend rotation depth for the stretch run and hoped Paddack would give them some quality starts. However, that has not happened as Paddack has been a net negative since arriving in the Motor City.
In six starts with the Tigers, the 29-year-old right-handed starting pitcher has a 2-2 record and a 5.40 ERA. Paddack has allowed 31 hits, 18 earned runs (eight home runs), and five walks, while only striking out 14 batters in 30 innings pitched.
Furthermore, opponents are hitting .267 at the plate off Paddack with an .849 OPS since he arrived in Detroit, which is higher than what it was with the Twins earlier this season (.753).
Paddack’s strikeout percentage is currently at 11.6, which is lower than what it was with the Twins (17.6). The veteran’s home run percentage is at 6.6% and his hard hit rate is 48%. He isn’t missing any bats, and that’s a problem, especially when you are trying to win a division title.
The Tigers will see if they can fix the veteran pitcher by moving him to the bullpen, but it's not guaranteed. For Paddack’s sake, he needs to turn it around, as the postseason is only weeks away.