Tigers Reclaim Pitcher RJ Petit After Rule 5 Pick
Detroit regains the 6-8 reliever, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery and is expected to miss most of the 2027 season.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Baseball
The Detroit Tigers received right-handed reliever RJ Petit back from the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday, Nov. 3, after Colorado selected him in the 2025 Rule 5 draft. Petit never pitched for Colorado and had Tommy John surgery in March.
Why it matters
Petit was returned to Detroit to complete his recovery from surgery, so the club keeps a pitcher who posted strong numbers in the minors. His absence for most of 2027 means he will not be a factor for Detroit's bullpen in the near term.
Petit's 2025 line of 10-2 with a 2.44 ERA across Double-A Erie and Triple-A Toledo, with 10.7 strikeouts and three walks per nine innings, is the minor league record that drew Colorado's Rule 5 selection. The source does not provide a major league comparison or a timeline for his return to game action.
The players
RJ Petit
A right-handed reliever drafted by the Tigers in 2021 whose minor league numbers in 2025 drew Colorado's Rule 5 selection.
Detroit Tigers
A Major League Baseball franchise based in Detroit that reacquired Petit after the Rule 5 draft.
Colorado Rockies
A Major League Baseball franchise that selected Petit in the 2025 Rule 5 draft but never used him in a game.
The details
The Tigers drafted Petit in the 14th round in 2021 but did not place him on the 40-man roster before the Rule 5 draft, which allowed Colorado to select him. Petit never pitched for the Rockies and was returned to Detroit to finish his recovery from March Tommy John surgery.
Timeline
2021: Detroit drafts Petit in the 14th round.
2025: Petit posts a 10-2 record with a 2.44 ERA and is selected in the Rule 5 draft.
March: Petit undergoes Tommy John surgery.
Tuesday, Nov. 3: Detroit receives Petit back from Colorado.
2027 season: Petit is expected to miss most of the year.
Season Trajectory
The Rule 5 draft requires a selecting club to keep a player on its active roster for the full season or return him to his original team, which is the mechanism that brought Petit back to Detroit. For the Tigers, the return adds an injured reliever to the organization's developmental depth rather than to the immediate major league bullpen.
Petit's absence for most of 2027 means Tigers fans should not count on him for bullpen depth next season. Fantasy managers tracking Detroit relievers should note that he is not on the 40-man roster and will not contribute in the near term.
The takeaway
For a rebuilding bullpen, a returned pitcher with strong minor league numbers is a long-term asset rather than an immediate fix. Readers following Detroit's roster should watch whether Petit's rehab progresses on schedule.
Further reading
For more on the team, see Detroit Baseball coverage.
