The Tigers announced that they have claimed outfielder TJ Hopkins off waivers from the Giants. In a corresponding move, left-hander Kolton Ingram has been designated for assignment.
Hopkins, 27, had spent his entire career with the Reds until a few months ago but has been riding the roster carousel a bit lately. Cincy designated him for assignment in December and then flipped him to the Giants for cash. He stuck on the Giants’ roster for about two months before getting bumped off last week. After a week in DFA limbo, he’s now landed with the Tigers.
The right-handed hitter made his major league debut last year but it wasn’t especially strong. He hit just .171/.227/.171 for the year, though in a tiny sample of 44 plate appearances. His work in Triple-A was much more encouraging. He drew a walk in 14% of his 393 plate appearances and also launched 16 home runs. His .308/.411/.514 batting line translated to a wRC+ of 134, indicating he was 34% better than the league average.
Hopkins has mostly played left field in his career but has seen decent amounts of playing time at all three outfield spots. The Tigers have an outfield/designated hitter mix that skews left-handed, as each of Parker Meadows, Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter and Akil Baddoo hit from that side. The club acquired Mark Canha to give them a bit of right-handed ballast but Hopkins will provide them with a depth option. He still has two option years and can be kept in Triple-A until he forces his way back to the big leagues or an opening appears.
As for Ingram, 27, he also made a small-sample debut in the majors last year, tossing 5 1/3 innings for the Angels. He allowed five earned runs in that time, striking out seven batters but also giving out five walks. He spent most of the year on the farm, splitting his time between Double-A and Triple-A. Between those two levels, he combined for 64 innings with a 2.81 ERA. His 31.1% strikeout rate is eye-catching but his 13.1% walk rate concerning.
The Halos designated him for assignment when they signed Aaron Hicks and the Tigers grabbed him off waivers in the first week of February, though he’s now been bumped off the roster a couple of weeks later. The Tigers will have one week to trade Ingram or pass him through waivers. Left-handed relief is always in demand and he still has a couple of option years, so he could be attractive to any club looking to bolster its bullen depth. If he were to pass through waivers unclaimed, he would stick with the Tigers in a non-roster capacity.
Cue the stupid comment from STYMEEDONE in five, four, three, two, one….
Gee, thanks. I like your posts too.
The Tiger need a RH power bat, and the depth is needed. I’m not expecting Malloy to make it as an OF but I’m hoping to be surprised. As much as I like the energy Baddoo brings to the field, he’s just one lefty OF too many on this team, and I see a trade likely.
Alex Bregman would be a nice RH power bat and would fill the 3B hole. Probably have to wait for the offseason for that to happen though.
Baddoo needs to put it together this year. I get Randy Arozarena vibes from him but he needs more consistency if he wants to get more at bats. Lots more competition for at bats this year in Detroit.
I got Arozarena vibes from Baddoo…in the first half of 2021!
You just know if they trade him he’ll end up being a 20-20 guy. He’s fun to watch but frustrating because of the inconsistency.
So whatever going to happen is no trade happening. Gotcha, STYMEEDONE, logic says believe the opposite your childish nonsense comes up with nowadays since your extreme hate affair against Harris.
Plus in the STYMEEDONE logic Malloy highly likely heads north as part of the 26-man. I will hold on to my Baddoo shirsey too as he goes nowhere. Any other insight I should buy into due to the opposite of your hallucinations? lol
Wonder if the Angels are going to re-aquire him, like they did with Livan Soto
@ kellin about to say the same thing, I can see it happening.
Super Bowl champs!
Just let us know when Diego Castillo moves.
Go, Diego, go!
He was just out righted off the O’s!
Yep. Looks like he found a home, finally.
Scott Harris keeping an eye on his old boss (Zaidi)
Gotta keep up appearances and give the impression an actual job is being done. Those papers aren’t gonna push themselves around on his desktop!
Hopkins sounds like another Tyler Nevin. Great AAA numbers but couldn’t produce in the Show.
The guy got 44 AB’s… not exactly much to base it on, that learning curve in the pros has to take more than 44 AB’s. Look’s like he’s going to get another chance with the Tigers at some point this season. He sounds capable.
As a Reds fan I liked Hopkins. Could turn out to be a decent 4th outfielder for a team if given the chance.
Also as a reds fan I had high hopes. As for decent 4th outfielders maybe we should have held onto him, Fairchild is trash.
A little harsh saying Fairchild is “trash”. A fair description IMO is good outfielder, good speed and a slightly below average hitter. Carrying him as a 4th outfielder is not going to hurt you.
Looks interesting if there are injuries that open up a spot. Him and Bligh Madris will fight it out for a callup.
I also feel like he’s being discriminated because of his age. He was drafted out of college as a senior in 2019 and then obviously sat out 2020 because of no play.
Twins will try to claim him. Seems like that’s they’re plan for replacing Grey and Maeda…waiver wire pick ups:(
Maybe they find a diamond in the rough like Johan Santana years ago (although that was in the Rule V draft). The Tigers plucked Holton off waivers last year and he turned out to be a steal.
They plucked many off waivers. Surprised they had room for so many at Toledo, as few made a dent in the Detroit. He definitely made it thru long odds.
Not many seem to work out. I’m curious about Devin Sweet. He looks halfway interesting.
So long, Kolton. We hardly knew ye.
His MLB stats are not bad at all….I think I’d have kept him instead of grabbing this new guy….
I’d keep him over Miguel Diaz.
Ingram could sneak thru waivers