 Bautista began 2008 with the Tigers in a relief role, often pitching in the eighth-inning as the "setup man" for veteran closer Todd Jones. In his debut on Opening Day (March 31), he gave up a run in the 11th inning and took the loss in a 5 – 4 defeat to the Royals. After that game, he had nine consecutive scoreless outings. He then allowed five runs over three outings in a row before getting placed on the disabled list on May 3 with a sore shoulder. He came off the disabled list on June 5 and appeared in three more games with the Tigers. In 16 games with the Tigers, Bautista had an 0 – 1 record, a 3.32 ERA, 10 strikeouts, and 14 walks in 19 innings. Due to the return of Joel Zumaya from the disabled list, Bautista was designated for assignment and was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 25 for right-handed pitcher Kyle Pearson.
