Tigers DFA Justyn-Henry Malloy To Make Room For Kyle Finnegan

The Detroit Tigers designated Justyn-Henry Malloy for assignment Saturday to clear a roster spot for newly signed reliever Kyle Finnegan, a move that may surprise casual fans but becomes easier to understand when viewed through the lens of Statcast data and roster construction.

Malloy, once viewed as a bat-first corner outfield option, struggled to establish a sustainable offensive identity at the major league level. While the Tigers have preached patience under Scott Harris, this decision reflects a growing emphasis on defensive value, roster flexibility and pitch-type adaptability, areas where Malloy consistently fell short. In two seasons with the Tigers in over 357 plate appearances, he hit .209/.311/.346 with 9 home runs, in 123 games. 

At first glance, Malloy’s surface numbers don’t immediately suggest a player on the DFA bubble. He showed some ability to handle velocity, particularly four-seam fastballs. In 2025, hitters facing Malloy’s four-seamers produced a .313 batting average and a .362 wOBA, indicating he wasn’t completely overmatched by premium velocity.

That success, however, was highly selective.

Against secondary offerings, Malloy struggled to an extreme degree. His run values against sliders (-1.5 RV/100), sweepers (-2.0) and splitters (-5.7) illustrate a hitter pitchers could game-plan against with relative ease. Once ahead in the count, opposing pitchers largely abandoned the fastball.

The results were stark:

For a corner bat, that level of pitch-type vulnerability is difficult to survive. Keep in mind, all of this is in small sample size as far as splitters and sweepers go. 

The Statcast whiff and strikeout data further reinforce why the Tigers made this call.

Malloy posted whiff rates north of 40 percent against sliders, curveballs and sweepers, with strikeout rates frequently climbing past 40 percent on those same pitch types. Once pitchers expanded the zone, Malloy rarely adjusted. He wasn’t consistently shortening his swing, fouling off tough pitches or forcing mistakes.

That profile runs counter to the Tigers’ organizational messaging. Scott Harris has repeatedly emphasized reducing empty at-bats and “moving the baseball” at the major league level. Malloy’s outcomes reflected the opposite.

Just as important, his expected numbers didn’t point to misfortune. His expected weighted on-base average against breaking balls sat in the .150–.220 range, suggesting the results matched the quality of contact.

Malloy did flash occasional hard contact, particularly against sinkers, where his hard-hit rate reached 44.4 percent in 2025. But that contact rarely translated into consistent damage. His expected slugging percentages remained modest, and his barrel frequency fluctuated too much to establish a reliable power threat.

In short, he hit the ball hard at times — but not often enough, and not against the pitch types that dominate late-inning and high-leverage situations.

This move wasn’t solely about Malloy’s struggles. It was about opportunity cost.

By adding Kyle Finnegan, the Tigers clearly prioritized bullpen reliability and late-inning structure. With Tarik Skubal anchoring the rotation and Detroit positioning itself to contend again in 2026, marginal bench bats without defensive versatility become increasingly difficult to carry.

Malloy offered limited positional flexibility, struggled defensively and didn’t project as a platoon weapon due to his pitch-type splits. That combination made it hard to justify a 40-man roster spot — especially with internal options pushing for playing time.

Designating Malloy doesn’t signal a retreat from offense. It reflects a sharper approach to roster construction. The Harris-era Tigers are no longer stockpiling “interesting” bats and hoping adjustments come later.

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