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The Tigers announced Sunday that Darnell (hip) has been playing catch five times a week and is also taking part in a running progression, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Darnell has opened camp behind the team's healthy bullpen candidates after undergoing left hip labral repair surgery in September. The 28-year-old could be ready to get back onto a mound soon, but he still looks like he'll face an uphill battle to win a spot on the Opening Day roster.
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Tigers' Dugan Darnell: Idle to begin camp
Rotowire
The Tigers announced Wednesday that Darnell (hip) will be sidelined for the start of spring training, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
Darnell is still on the mend from left hip labral repair surgery, which he underwent last September. Before being shut down by the injury, the 28-year-old righty made nine appearances out of the Colorado bullpen and logged a 3.86 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 5:7 K:BB across 11.2 innings. After being claimed off waivers by the Tigers in November, Darnell was designated for assignment but then re-signed to a minor-league deal. He's attending camp as a non-roster invitee, but he'll likely need to complete his rehab within the next week or two to have any shot at all of winning a spot in the Opening Day bullpen.
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Tigers' Dugan Darnell: Re-signs with Tigers
Rotowire
The Tigers re-signed Darnell (hip) to a minor-league contract Monday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
Darnell was claimed off waivers and then non-tendered by the Tigers in November, but he will return to the organization on a minor-league pact. The righty reliever underwent hip surgery in September and it's unclear when he might be ready to pitch in games.
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Dugan Darnell: Non-tendered by Tigers
Rotowire
Darnell (hip) was non-tendered by Detroit on Friday.
The Tigers claimed Darnell off waivers in mid-November, but his time with the club was short-lived. He'll become a free agent as he continues to recover from hip surgery that he underwent in mid-September.
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Tigers' Dugan Darnell: Removed from 40-man roster
Rotowire
Darnell (hip) was designated for assignment by the Tigers on Tuesday, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.
Darnell received his first big-league call-up in August and made nine appearances with the Rockies before landing on the injured list with left hip inflammation. Surgery was deemed necessary, and Darnell has since jumped to Pittsburgh and Detroit on waivers. He will be subjected to the waiver process once again after being DFA'd.
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Tigers' Dugan Darnell: Claimed by Detroit
Rotowire
The Tigers claimed Darnell (hip) off waivers from the Pirates on Wednesday.
Darnell spent most of the 2025 season at Triple-A Albuquerque in the Rockies organization, holding a 3.19 ERA and 63:19 K:BB over 53.2 innings. He had surgery in September to repair a torn labrum in his left hip, but the Tigers appear confident in his ability to make a full recovery.
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Pirates' Dugan Darnell: Designated for assignment
Rotowire
The Pirates designated Darnell (hip) for assignment Thursday.
Thursday marks the second time in six days that Darnell has been DFA'd, as he joined the Pirates via waiver claim from Colorado last Friday. The 28-year-old righty posted a 3.19 ERA and 1.15 WHIP across 53.2 Triple-A innings during 2025 despite playing in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, giving him a fair amount of appeal for bullpen-needy teams browsing the waiver wire.
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Pirates' Dugan Darnell: Claimed by Pirates
Rotowire
The Pirates claimed Darnell (hip) off waivers from the Rockies on Friday and placed him on the 60-day injured list, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.
Darnell posted a 3.86 ERA and 1.46 WHIP in the majors this year across 11.2 innings, though his season was cut short in late August by a torn labrum in his left hip. Now in the Pirates organization, the 28-year-old righty will be entering a more pitcher-friendly environment compared to Colorado. However, he'll still likely be limited to middle-relief duties in Pittsburgh.
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Rockies' Dugan Darnell: Scheduled for surgery
Rotowire
Darnell will undergo surgery in mid-to-late September to repair a torn labrum in his left hip, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.
Darnell was transferred to the 60-day injured list Sunday due to left hip inflammation. The injury is severe enough for the 28-year-old right-hander to go under the knife, and it's not clear whether he'll be ready to resume baseball activities by the start of spring training. Darnell spent most of the 2025 season with Triple-A Albuquerque but was called up to the Rockies on Aug. 1 and appeared in nine games for the big club, finishing with a 3.86 ERA and 1.46 WHIP over 11.2 innings.
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Rockies' Dugan Darnell: Done for season
Rotowire
Colorado transferred Darnell (hip) to the 60-day IL on Sunday.
The Rockies placed Darnell on the 15-day IL on Friday due to left hip inflammation, an injury that interim manager Warren Schaeffer acknowledged that the reliever had been dealing with "for a while," per MLB.com. While the Rockies haven't revealed that Darnell is dealing with anything more significant than swelling in the hip, the club evidently determined that the right-hander wasn't on track to return before the end of the season. Darnell will close his rookie campaign with a 3.86 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 5:7 K:BB in 11.2 innings out of the Colorado bullpen.
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Rockies' Dugan Darnell: Lands on IL with hip injury
Rotowire
The Rockies placed Darnell on the 15-day injured list Friday with left hip inflammation.
Darnell had made nine relief appearance since being added to the Rockies' roster, posting a 3.86 ERA but an ugly 5:7 K:BB over 11.2 innings. He will be eligible to return Sept. 6, but it's unclear whether he'll be ready at that time.
