MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The AL Central-leading Detroit Tigers acquired starting pitcher Chris Paddack from the division rival Minnesota Twins in a three-player trade on Monday to plug another injury-created vacancy in their rotation.
The Tigers announced right-hander Reese Olson will miss the remainder of the regular season with a strained shoulder suffered during his most recent bullpen session, joining right-hander Jackson Jobe on the shelf.
The Twins packaged Paddack and depth right-hander Randy Dobnak for catcher Enrique Jimenez, who was the Tigers’ 14th-best prospect in MLB’s preseason rankings.
Paddack will make his debut for Detroit on Wednesday against Arizona. Dobnak was sent to Triple-A Toledo.
The 29-year-old Paddack went 3-9 with a 4.95 ERA in 21 starts for the Twins this season, with 27 walks and 83 strikeouts in 111 innings and a .266 opponent batting average.
Acquired by Minnesota in a trade with San Diego right before the start of the 2022 season, Paddack made five starts that year before suffering the second torn UCL of his career and needing Tommy John surgery. He returned for the 2023 postseason in a bullpen role and slotted back in the rotation in what was an up-and-down, injury-affected 2024 season.
Paddack went 10-14 with a 4.88 ERA over 45 appearances with Minnesota, including 43 starts. The Tigers and Twins play seven more times this season, including a three-game series in Detroit next week, so he figures to face his former team soon.
The Tigers have struggled to find a fifth starter since Jobe, their top prospect and the third overall pick in the 2021 draft, needed Tommy John surgery in late May. Keider Montero filled the role for most of the season, but he has averaged fewer than five innings per appearance to put more pressure on an overloaded bullpen.
Rookie Troy Melton, who was to make his second career start on Monday, is expected to move into a long-relief role for the Tigers, who took an eight-game lead on Cleveland into the week.
The 19-year-old Jimenez had a .779 OPS with 32 RBIs in 48 games for Detroit’s rookie league club. The switch-hitter, who was signed out of Venezuela in 2023, will add some catching depth to a Twins organization that was lacking it.
The 30-year-old Dobnak is making $3 million this season, but he has spent most of 2025 with Triple-A St. Paul, like he has since signing a five-year major league contract with the Twins in 2021 that guaranteed him $9.25 million. He made the opening day roster and had one relief appearance before being sent down. Dobnak has a 4.86 ERA in 140 2/3 career innings since making his debut with the Twins in 2019.
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AP freelance writer Dave Hogg in Detroit contributed to this report.
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