TOLEDO — On Sunday afternoon, Detroit Tigers right-handed reliever Jason Foley walked out of the clubhouse at Fifth Third Field wearing a Mud Hens shirt.
He looked out of place.
Foley — who tied for fifth in the American League (and ninth in MLB) with 28 saves last season — is a big leaguer in a minor-league clubhouse after the Tigers optioned him to Triple-A last Tuesday as part of their final roster cuts ahead of Opening Day, choosing fellow righty reliever Brenan Hanifee instead.
"I'm not a big leaguer right now," Foley said.
For now, he pitches at the Triple-A level.
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He didn't see this coming.
"I was pretty surprised," Foley said before Sunday's game against the Columbus Clippers, the Cleveland Guardians' Triple-A affiliate. "I think I'm self-aware enough to realize I didn't pitch my best baseball in spring training. I just thought the last three years, my track record would have maybe superseded a couple of shaky outings in spring training."
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The 29-year-old worked as the Tigers' closer in the 2024 season, registering a 3.15 ERA with 20 walks and 46 strikeouts across 60 innings in 69 games, converting 28 saves in 32 chances. He then posted a 6.14 ERA with zero walks and 10 strikeouts over 7⅓ innings in eight games during 2025 spring training.
He had a 3.18 ERA in 199 games from 2022-24.
Foley — earning $3.15 million in 2025 — traveled with the Tigers for a pair of exhibition games ...
