Lefty Reliever Drew Sommers to Make MLB Debut

The wait is over for left-handed reliever Drew Sommers, who has been called up from Triple-A Toledo and is set to make his Major League debut with the Detroit Tigers.

Sommers, 25, will join the Tigers for their home series against the Kansas City Royals beginning Friday, August 22, at Comerica Park. The move comes after a strong season in the minors, where he posted a combined 2.53 ERA with 63 strikeouts across 57 innings between Double-A Erie and Triple-A Toledo. At the Triple-A level, Sommers didn’t allow a single home run in 32⅔ innings.

Armed with a 94-mph sinker and a wipeout slider that produced a 39% whiff rate, Sommers has shown an ability to generate both ground balls and swings-and-misses. Left-handed hitters in the minors managed just a .165 average and .471 OPS against him this season.

The Tigers acquired Sommers from the Tampa Bay Rays in February, and now he becomes just the second left-handed option in the bullpen, joining Tyler Holton. With six of the next nine games coming against Kansas City — a team featuring multiple left-handed bats — Sommers could find himself in high-leverage matchups right away.

Drafted by the Rays in the 11th round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Central Arizona College, Sommers wasn’t ranked among Detroit’s top-30 prospects, but his performance this season earned him a long-awaited promotion.

His next pitch will be on a Major League mound.