LHP Enmanuel de Jesus optioned to Toledo, RHP Burch Smith called up to the Tigers

Q: Why was Enmanuel de Jesus optioned to Triple-A Toledo?

Enmanuel de Jesus was optioned due to a disastrous performance that included multiple mental errors and a lack of command during his outing against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Q: What led to Burch Smith being called up to the Detroit Tigers?

Burch Smith was called up to provide relief in the bullpen after Enmanuel de Jesus was optioned, and he has been performing well in Triple-A with no walks in 10 innings.

Q: How did Enmanuel de Jesus perform in spring training before the season?

Enmanuel de Jesus had a strong spring training, showcasing excellent command and performance in both Grapefruit League action and the World Baseball Classic for Team Venezuela.

Detroit Tigers pitcher Burch Smith practices during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images In the wake of his disastrous performance in Tuesday night’s loss to the Milwaukee Brewers, left-hander Enmanuel de Jesus has been optioned to Triple-A Toledo. RHP Burch Smith has been recalled. To open a spot for Smith on the 40-man roster, LHP Bailey Horn has been transferred to the 60-day injured list. Horn had arthroscopic surgery on his left elbow over the offseason, and has dealt with some inflammation this spring. A brief rehab assignment in Lakeland was cut short after the inflammation returned, and he’ll be re-evaluated and won’t be eligible to return to action until late May. As for de Jesus, he was the darling of spring camp, showing off a solid pitch mix and excellent command both in Grapefruit League action and in the World Baseball Classic for Team Venezuela. The Tigers selected his contract late in spring training as de Jesus had an opt-out clause looming and other teams were starting to inquire on him. However, that command has been lacking since the season began. The strikeouts were plentiful and he still hasn’t allowed a home run yet, so the potential for him as he transitions from a starter in South Korea’s KBO to a major league reliever is pretty obvious. That potential ran off the road on Tuesday night in Detroit. De Jesus entered the game with two outs in the sixth inning in relief of Keider Montero. He promptly carved up with a pair of well located fastballs for strikes, and then a nasty cutter that got the swinging strikeout. However, in the seventh inning, de Jesus had a thorough and comprehensive meltdown. After two fairly loud outs to start the inning, singled, and de Jesus followed that by walking . Unfortunately, after picking off Hamilton at second, de Jesus started to do the right thing and charge the baserunner, but then hastily threw to shortstop Kevin McGonigle and sailed the throw into the outfield. A pair of singles followed, knocking in two runs, and de Jesus was visibly frustrated with himself through the rest of the inning, which ended on a ground out. De Jesus is a 29-year-old pitcher who has played around the world. He knows how to field his position, and he should know how to settle himself down after a mistake. Instead, he came back out in the eighth, gave up back-to-back triples and then failed to break for first on a grounder to that would have really helped the cause had de Jesus been on time to first base. He was not, and the inning spiraled into a seven-run debacle that saw enter in a bases loaded situation and struggle as well. Obviously, the key issue with de Jesus has been command. He and fellow KBO import have both struggled to get ahead of hitters and spot their full pitch mix. There’s reason to understand that, as neither are particularly used to relief work, and the KBO ball is made to have some tackiness to the cover and has slightly higher seams. They aren’t the first pitchers to need some time to adapt. However, they were both in spring camp since mid-February, if not sooner, and you can only have so much time to get comfortable with the change. Pitchers who followed this route like or , had some issues but they didn’t extend much into the regular season. But the real issue, and what got de Jesus optioned, I suspect, was the mental error of letting the issues pile up on his mind, affecting his awareness and performance. That just can’t happen to this degree. De Jesus has never really had any control issues, and while no one expects him to be a closer tier reliever, his stuff is plenty good enough to keep major league hitters in check. The fact that his command disappeared and the metrics on his stuff even took a hit after the mistake in the seventh, speaks to the fact that he boiled over internally. Now he’ll get some time in Toledo to think about things and try to settle back in. In his place I tended to expect RHP , who has been outstanding for the Toledo Mud Hens early on. On the other hand, the 33-year-old Smith has likewise been nearly unhittable and hasn’t walked a batter in 10 innings of work. He also offers a little more of a unique look to hitters than Nolasco provides in comparison to the rest of the Tigers’ bullpen. Smith also has 247 1/3 innings of maajor league experience, which Nolasco definitely does not. The Tigers still have and in their bullpen, so they’re fine in terms of left-handers. Hopefully Smith can add some quality length to the bullpen and help the Tigers out in the middle innings. They certainly could use some assistance in that regard.

LHP Enmanuel de Jesus optioned to Toledo, RHP Burch Smith called up to the Tigers

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