“Tigers re-sign Wilmer Flores and Eddys Leonard to minor league contracts.”

The Tigers have re-signed the right-hander Wilmer Flores and infielder/outfielder Eddy’s Leonard on minor league deals, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports. Flores will make $1 million if he plays in the majors, while Leonard would get the league minimum of $760,000.

Neither player has major league experience, but both were on the Tigers’ 40-man roster until recently. Both had an injury-filled season this year before being unsigned by the Tigers last month. That left both of them released into free agency without being placed on waivers, but each has now returned in a non-roster role.

Flores, not to be confused with his older brother of the same name, is a right-handed pitcher who turns 24 in February. He posted strong numbers as a starter during the promotion to the minor leagues and was placed on the 40-man roster a year ago to avoid being selected in the Rule 5 draft. This is despite him struggling towards the end of the 2023 season when his speed declined.

He was moved to a primary support role in 2024, but did not immediately accept it. As Petzold noted, he missed over three months with a shoulder injury and the numbers weren’t great when he was on the mound. He pitched 25 1/3 innings at the Triple-A level, allowing 8.53 earned runs per nine. His 18% strikeout rate was below average and his 18.8% walk rate was abysmal.

For Leonard, he was once a Dodger prospect and was added to that club’s roster ahead of the 2021 Rule 5 draft. He was designated for assignment in the summer of 2023 and moved to the Tigers for cash. Per Petzold, he had to switch to the IL at the beginning of the year due to a strain in his left thigh muscle, which was later followed by a strain in his right thigh muscle. He only appeared in 67 Triple-A games and hit .263/.326/.455, good for a wRC+ of 101. He exhausted his last year of options.

The Tigers weren’t willing to keep either player on the roster after struggling in 2024, but they still like both enough to bring them back and see if things can get back on track in 2025. Flores gives the pitching staff some roster depth, while Leonard does the same for the majority of the rest of the roster. He has experience at all three outfield positions and the three infield positions left of first base.