CLEVELAND -- The last time Jose Cisnero pitched in the Majors, Torii Hunter was among the hitters who singled off of him. It was May 6, 2014, and the then-Astros reliever was at Comerica Park facing a Tigers lineup that included Danny Worth at shortstop.

Cisnero remembers the excitement of his first big league call in 2013, just after turning 24. Getting the call back Saturday morning at age 30, he says, was even better.

“I feel more excited right now,” Cisnero said, “because it’s hard when you don’t play for a long time to come back to the big leagues. And I worked hard for that.”

The Tigers signed the right-hander out of winter ball to a Minor League deal last November on the recommendation of Class A West Michigan pitching coach Willie Blair and special assistant Mike Russell. Cisnero dominated hitters in Spring Training, allowing two runs on five hits with two walks and 12 strikeouts over 9 2/3 innings.

More impressive than the numbers were the pitches behind them. Cisnero’s fastball overpowered opponents, topping out at 99 mph.

It was a lot of work from Cisnero, not just to throw hard but to learn how to corral it. He became the rare reliever to try pitching out of a windup in an effort to refine his command earlier this season at Triple-A Toledo. Cisnero learned how to pitch in cold weather without losing all feel for the ball. He simplified his focus to just try to hit the glove. The work paid off with a 2.95 ERA, 2.20 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings this year out of the Mud Hens' bullpen.

Cisnero’s recent work was particularly strong, allowing a lone run on five hits over his last 10 innings with three walks and 12 strikeouts. So when the Tigers looked for another bullpen option after Friday’s 7-6 loss to the Indians, Cisnero was a top option.

“As of lately, he’s throwing a lot better than he was earlier,” Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire said. “He was misfiring, but he’s been throwing good. We need him. We need arms. I love velocity out of the bullpen, and as you guys know, we’ve had a few struggles out of the bullpen trying to get through some innings with a little consistency. So this is good. We’ll see what happens.”

To make room for Cisnero on the roster, the Tigers designated veteran reliever Carlos Torres for assignment. The 36-year-old righty allowed five runs on nine hits over six innings this month, walking one and striking out eight after joining the club on a Minor League contract.

Tigers sign reliever Hess, two more Draft picks

The Tigers waited until the seventh round to take a pitcher in this month’s Draft, but they were surprised and thrilled when hard-throwing LSU right-hander Zack Hess was available that late.

“Shocked,” was how assistant general manager David Chadd put it.

They’ll now have a chance to try to develop him into their next relief option.

Detroit agreed to terms on Friday with Hess, whose $227,700 signing bonus according to MLB.com’s Jim Callis, is the full slot value of the 202nd overall pick.

The Tigers also agreed to terms with University of Arkansas shortstop Jack Kenley, their eighth-round pick, and University of North Carolina right-hander Austin Bergner, their ninth-round selection. With that, their top-10 selections are all under contract.

Hess ranked 95th on MLB Pipeline’s Draft prospect list in his third turn through the Draft, having bypassed pro ball twice to pitch at LSU. The Braves reportedly offered him a seven-figure bonus at one point last year after selecting him in the 34th round, but they didn’t have the bonus pool space to sign him after their first-round pick, Carter Stewart, wasn’t signed.

The Braves’ loss was the Tigers’ gain. Though Hess started for much of this season as a fourth-year junior, his combination of upper-90s fastball and wipeout slider is perceived to play well out of the bullpen.

“He started there out of necessity,” Tigers general manager Al Avila said earlier this month, “but as a reliever he’ll be throwing in the upper-90s, and that’s our intent at this point.”