The Tigers announced Monday that left-handed reliever Ian Krol went unclaimed on waivers and has been assigned outright to Triple-A Toledo. Krol has the right to reject said assignment in favor of free agency, though there’s no indication from the team that he plans to do so. Detroit had designated Krol for assignment over the weekend in order to open a roster spot for the return of right-hander Jose Urena.
Krol, 30, returned to the Majors for the first time since 2018 this season. This year marks his second stint with the Tigers organization, having also pitched out of the Detroit bullpen from 2014-15 after coming over from the Nationals alongside Robbie Ray in an offseason Doug Fister trade.
Krol has appeared in a dozen games for the Tigers this season and tallied 12 1/3 innings. In that time, he’s yielded seven earned runs on 18 hits and five walks with 10 strikeouts. It’s a small sample of 41 plate appearances, but right-handed opponents have feasted off Krol this year, hitting at a .351/.390/.568 pace.
In between big league stints, Krol played for the Triple-A affiliates of the Twins and the Reds, in addition to a 2020 stint on the independent circuit. He’s totaled 202 1/3 innings at the MLB level and pitched to a combined 4.54 ERA, but his last real big league success came with the 2016 Braves. The lefty also carries a lifetime 3.45 ERA in 180 Triple-A frames that have been scattered across parts of eight seasons.