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Detroit Tigers sign six-year MLB reliever Geoff Hartlieb to minor league contract
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- Detroit Tigers sign six-year MLB reliever Geoff Hartlieb to minor league contract
ARLINGTON, TX — The Detroit Tigers signed right-handed reliever Geoff Hartlieb to a minor league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Toledo.
He already pitched in his first game for the Mud Hens, making his debut Sunday, July 13 — just one day after signing. He retired four batters across 1⅓ innings, striking out two and throwing 11 of 17 pitches for strikes.
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Hartlieb has logged in 80⅔ innings over 66 relief appearances in parts of six MLB seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates (2019-21), New York Mets (2021), Miami Marlins (2023), Colorado Rockies (2024) and New York Yankees (2025).
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Geoff Hartlieb of the New York Yankees poses for a portrait during the New York Yankees Photo Day at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Feb. 18, 2025 in Tampa, Florida.
In his MLB career, Hartlieb owns a 7.92 ERA with 59 walks and 80 strikeouts.
He throws three pitches: four-seam fastball, sinker and slider.
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Over the past three seasons, Hartlieb has a 10.05 ERA with 11 walks and 14 strikeouts in 14⅓ innings with the Marlins, Rockies and Yankees. In 2025, his fastball has averaged 95 mph, and his slider has generated a 31.3% whiff rate, but he has allowed six runs in 1⅓ innings.
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The Yankees designated Hartlieb for assignment July 9 — his second DFA of the month — a day after he allowed three runs while getting just one out in his second appearance of the season . He elected free agency July 11, then signed with the Tigers on July 12.
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Hartlieb has spent most of his professional career at the Triple-A level, where he owns a 4.15 ERA, 9.6% walk rate and 25% strikeout rate across 262⅓ innings.
But Hartlieb has shown improved command and effectiveness in 2025, posting a 3.22 ERA with a 6.7% walk rate and 26.8% strikeout rate over 36⅓ innings between Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (Yankees) and Triple-A Toledo (Tigers).
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Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold .
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This story was updated to add a gallery.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers sign Geoff Hartlieb to minor league contract
