Tigers acquire reliever Rafael Montero from Braves for minor leaguer

Field Level Media|published: Wed 30th July, 22:57 2025

Jun 14, 2025; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves pitcher Rafael Montero (48) pitches the ball against the Colorado Rockies during the eighth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

The Detroit Tigers acquired right-handed reliever Rafael Montero from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for minor league infielder Jim Jarvis on Wednesday.

Montero, 34, is in his 11th year in the majors, having made 360 career regular season appearances (30 starts) for the Mets (2014-17), Rangers (2019-20), Mariners (2021), Astros (2021-25) and Braves (2025). He also has made 15 playoff appearances, posting a 2.51 ERA across 14 1/3 innings for the World Series-winning 2022 Astros and the 2023 Astros.

Combined between the Astros and Braves this season, Montero is 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA in 39 relief appearances, with 39 strikeouts. He has held opposing hitters to a .211 batting average and .657 OPS.

Montero began the season with the Astros, making three appearances before being traded to Atlanta on April 8. With the Braves, Montero had one 13-game stretch from June 8-July 19 in which he posted a 1.93 ERA (3 earned runs in 14 innings).

Jarvis, 24, was an 11th-round pick of the Tigers in the 2023 draft out of the University of Alabama. He has been playing second base, third base and shortstop at Double-A Erie, where he is batting 242 with two homers and 29 RBIs in 77 games this season. At the time of his trade, he was not listed among the top 30 Tigers prospects by MLB Pipeline.

--Field Level Media

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