The Tigers are selecting the contract of outfielder Brett Callahan from Triple-A Toledo, according to Chris McCosky of The Detroit News. Callahan is in the starting lineup today and will be making his major league debut. In a corresponding move, outfielder Trei Cruz has been designated for assignment.
Callahan, 24, was the Tigers’ 13th-round draft pick in 2023. He reached the upper minors this year and batted .268/.374/.504 and produced a 133 wRC+ in 265 plate appearances at Double-A. He showed impressive knowledge of the strike zone, walking at a 12.8% clip while striking out 20.8% of the time. Callahan regressed somewhat upon reaching Triple-A Toledo, mostly due to a drop in power, but he continued to make contact and get on base at decent rates.
Callahan missed some time due to injury in the 2024-25 seasons. He dislocated his finger and suffered a right lower leg hematoma in 2024, then pulled his quad in 2025, missing a combined four months of action in those two years. He’s clearly fully healthy in 2026, playing a career-high 96 games and hitting 18% better than average by wRC+ across the top two levels of the Tigers’ system.
MLB Pipeline rates Callahan as the No. 19 prospect in Detroit’s system. His speed is noted as one of his best tools, and Callahan has shown it off by stealing 29 bases this year. Defensively, he’s slotted in at all three outfield spots and should be a capable defender thanks to his plus arm and range.
Callahan isn’t as notable of a prospect as fellow outfielder Max Clark, who came up a couple of weeks ago. Nonetheless, it’s a notable move for Callahan, who would have been eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this winter but will now be protected. With Kerry Carpenter, Riley Greene, and James Outman all on the injured list, Callahan should get a chance to establish himself at the big league level in the last month and a half of the season. He could presumably stick in a backup role when one of Carpenter or Outman returns at the end of the month. As long as he stays under 130 at-bats, he will maintain his rookie eligibility going into 2027.
Cruz was recalled from Triple-A but will now lose his roster spot without getting into a game. He made his big league debut back in June and went hitless in five plate appearances over two games. Since being optioned in June, Cruz is batting just .232/.288/.289 in 142 plate appearances for Toledo. That amounts to a wRC+ of 56, indicating that he was 44% worse than the average hitter in the International League.
Given those struggles and the fact that he’s already 28 years old, it’s not surprising to see Cruz lose his spot on the roster for a more highly touted option in Callahan. Although Cruz technically has three option years remaining, the Tigers will designate him for assignment instead to potentially keep him around as Triple-A depth without him taking up a 40-man spot. This is the first time he’s been designated, so Cruz has no choice but to accept an outright assignment if he clears waivers. There’s a decent chance someone will pick him up, as he was an above-average hitter at Triple-A just last year.
