The Tigers announced a series of roster moves prior to today’s game. Right-hander Reese Olson was placed on the 15-day injured list due to a right shoulder strain and infielder/outfielder Ryan Vilade was optioned to Triple-A Toledo. To take those two roster spots, the Tigers selected the contract of infielder/outfielder Bligh Madris and recalled left-hander Easton Lucas. To open a 40-man spot for Madris, outfielder Kerry Carpenter was transferred to the 60-day injured list.
Olson started for the Tigers yesterday against the Blue Jays but departed after just two innings with the club announcing his injury as right shoulder soreness. Now it seems a strain has been discovered and he’ll need to miss at least 15 days, though it’s unclear how severe the strain is or exactly how long the club expects to be without him.
That will interrupt a very nice season for Olson, as he has made 19 starts with a 3.23 earned run average. His 21.6% strikeout rate is subpar but he’s limited walks to a 7.3% clip and kept 51.2% of balls on the ground.
The Tigers’ rotation is also without Casey Mize and Sawyer Gipson-Long, as both of those hurlers are currently on the IL. Gipson-Long had internal brace surgery in April and is done for the year while Mize has a left hamstring strain and has yet to begin a rehab assignment. In recent days, Matt Manning suffered a lat strain in the minors and won’t be an option anytime soon either.
Detroit has been hot lately, with 11 wins in their last 14 games, pulling them to within five games of a Wild Card spot in the American League. Prior to that, they looked like clearcut deadline sellers, but that looks a bit more questionable after they recent climb.
A couple of weeks ago, Jack Flaherty was the top name on MLBTR’s list of deadline trade candidates. That was due to the combination of his excellent season, his status as an impending free agent and Detroit’s place in the standings. Guys like Gio Urshela, Mark Canha and Andrew Chafin also made some sense as deadline trade candidates, while plenty of clubs have seemingly been trying to pry Tarik Skubal loose as well.
Skubal was always a long shot with his two extra years of control and he’ll probably be even harder to acquire now that the Tigers are back in the playoff picture. Whether the club trades any impending free agents in the weeks to come will be an interesting situation and could perhaps depend on how they perform in the next week.
For now, they will have to proceed without Olson, Mize, Manning or Gipson-Long. That leaves them with a rotation consisting of Flaherty, Skubal and Keider Montero. They could perhaps return Kenta Maeda to the rotation, after bumping him to the bullpen recently. Prospect Ty Madden is in Triple-A but has an 8.43 ERA there and isn’t on the 40-man roster. Other non-roster options could include Bryan Sammons, Brant Hurter or Lael Lockhart. The Tigers also have one of the best pitching prospects in the league in Jackson Jobe, though he has not yet reached Triple-A and doesn’t even have 40 innings at the Double-A level yet.
Madris, 28, signed a minor league deal with the Tigers in the offseason and has been performing well in Triple-A this year. Through 80 games at that level, he has hit 14 home runs and walked in 12.8% of his plate appearances. The offensive environment is quite strong in the International League this year so his .236/.339/.464 batting line only translates to a wRC+ of 105, but he’s also stolen 17 bases and lined up at first base and all three outfield spots.
Since optioning Spencer Torkelson to the minors, the Tigers have been rotating first base duties mostly between Canha and Urshela but neither is having an especially strong year and both of them can play other positions. They also both hit right-handed while Madris is a lefty, perhaps creating platoon opportunities. Madris has hit just .217/.314/.383 against lefties this year but .241/.346/.488 against righties. Madris is in today’s lineup at first base against righty Kevin Gausman of the Blue Jays. Madris has a couple of options and less than a year of major league service time, so he could potentially be a long-term piece for the Tigers if he continues to hold onto his 40-man spot.
As for Carpenter, this move is largely a formality as he’s almost been on the IL for 60 days already. He landed there at the end of May due to a lumbar spine stress fracture and still hasn’t begun a rehab assignment. He’ll be eligible to come off the IL once it’s been 60 days from his initial placement. That’s only a few days away but he’s not close to a return anyhow.
Carpenter 60 days retroactive to?
If you want an exact date, I don’t have it… but if you meant “too” then yes, IL60 is retro to whenever “you” were placed on the 15.
What happened to Olson? I didn’t watch the Tigers game yesterday…
Olson was pulled after the second inning with a sore shoulder. He didn’t have his stuff…
I saw the boxscore and thought they must be limiting his innings around the break… sure hope he’s structurally OK. Thanks WestViller
May 26 was his last game action. They are saying eligible around mid August.
May 27, I believe. Which means this is just procedural to open up a roster spot for the next week.
Since he was put on the 15 man IL it is retro to that date. He last played in May so he might have already missed 60 days or close to it. Since he isn’t quite ready yet really means little at this point other than another roster move will be needed once he is ready.
May 27 per Roster Resource
And if Melly Cheese says it, it must be TRUE! lol
I get brining up Lucas for Olson makes some sense. Going with another BP arm over a starter. Manning on the IL, Madden hasn’t been pitching well as of late. Will be having BP days twice every 5 days unless the Tigers slot Maeda back in the rotation. But not sure why Madris? He doesn’t seem to offer anything more than Vilade other than he is a LHH.
He has a little more power. Leads the Hens with 14 HR’s. Might be a slightly better fielder too.
They really can’t put Maeda back in the rotation. He was horrible yesterday vs. Toronto, in his one inning of relief. He got the first two guys out on 22 pitches then imploded. I think two BP days out of 5 would tax an already taxed relief corps. I’m hoping that Mize is going on a rehab assignment soon and Olson’s stint on the IL is a short one as well. Those two happening makes the point moot.
I was glad the Tigers promoted Madris as I feared that Baddoo would get yet another recall. Maybe they’ve lost confidence in Akil? He’s turned into a black hole in the lineup and they don’t need two automatic outs, with Baez still on the roster and starting at SS.
Olson getting hurt is not good for their slim chances at the playoffs. I just watched the last two games in Toronto and Vilade was not good at all in the OF. Auditions continue with Madris and Lucas up. Hopefully there will be some new additions at the trade deadline when they ship Flaherty out. AJ Hinch said he was hoping they would buy but I don’t know if that is realistic especially with the Olson injury. Maybe buy and sell?
I’m wondering the same thing, MCBB. However, with the limited starting rotation, I’m beginning to doubt that Flaherty gets traded now. The Tigers need to figure out who will fill Olson’s spot. Don’t say Jobe, as he’s had limited time at AA, even though he’s been pitching well for Erie. He *might* be a September call up.
Why note Jobe? He has to get his innings in somewhere, burning them in AA throwing no-hit innings doesn’t really help anyone, and he’s clearly better than any other internal options. I think it’s actually the obvious move to make.
Jobe pitched yesterday, he would not pitch again until the 25th. The Tigers could still call him up Thursday to pitch that game. I would guess it would depend on how the team does up till then.
No, Oddball, It’s not the obvious move to make. Jobe just arrived back at AA a couple weeks ago from missing time with an injury. He needs the innings to make himself major league ready. No need to rush the kid.
And Dogs, this is actually the first time I’ve seen you comment with baseball related stuff, rather than your childish attacks on me. You’re likely wrong but this is progress.
If Olson actually returns after 15 days, then his absence might not have much of an impact on our playoff chances. If we lost him for more than 2-3 starts or for the rest of the season, we should definitely sell.
Trading Flaherty was the plan from day one and it would be foolish to hold on to him just for the longshot of snagging a wild card spot, which now just became less possible.
A rotation of Skubal, Montero, ?, ?, and ? isn’t a competitive plan and won’t get us very far. So, if we didn’t already know how important pitching depth was…
You hold on to him if the offer you receive for him is lower in value than what the comp pick the Tigers would get if he walks after the season.
I disagree. The Tigers signed Flaherty to a one year contract. It’s been routine that they trade their offseason one year signees at the deadline but that was because they basically had to due to record. They are currently only five games out of the playoff picture. Unless they do poorly in the nine games vs. Cleveland and Minnesota before the deadline. Hinch has said he wants to see them as buyers and they will stay that course, if they continue to gain ground in the Central and/or in the wild card.
I’m glad we agree that Flaherty gets traded regardless of their position in the playoff race. They cannot pass up that return.
Captain Bligh is back.
Hold on to Flaherty make a run at the wild card and offer him a QO in the off-season
Or extend him.
I can live with keeping him through the remainder of the season since that would mean we’re making a serious run towards the playoffs, but I’m strongly against extending him. His ask will likely be $20-25M/year for 3-4 years and his back issues will likely get worse with age. I can see Avila doing that deal but not Harris.
I do still think we should trade him at the deadline though
Actually it will be up to Chris I and we all know he’s not willing (in reality it’s Mrs I who isnt) to spend any money on anybody
dkhits, I was talking more like a two year extension.
Motown, it’s not that Chris or Marian are not willing to spend money. They aren’t willing to spend it foolishly. Last year’s free agent market was extremely weak. This year’s isn’t. I fully expect the wallet to open up during the offseason, but spending wisely is the m.o.
I think they should trade him and circle back in the offseason and sign him IF his back is not a big issue. Right now the Tigers know whether it will be a recurring issue better than anyone since their staff are the ones dealing with his issue. He has pitched well here and seems comfortable. I watched him pitch Friday and he was great and looked sharp except for the HR.
If they win every game before the All Star break then maybe, but that is very likely not happening. Sell the rentals for sure.
Flaherty’s season might just be a bit of a fluke. Regardless, he stands to cash in with a 9-figure contract. I just think he needs more of a positive track record across multiple recent seasons. As a result, I’m content with another team paying that salary.
Example: Lorenzen
Olson’s been great 2023-24
Good start to his career
Hopefully this strain aint too bad, lots of SP going down with “mild” injuries & then you never see them for 2 yrs….
I hope they can train Carpenter to play first base besides O.F. Sure liked Valade, but Madris fits their need better, and who knows who will get traded at the deadline. Montero has been a godsend so hoping he has another good start today.
Montero had a bad start last time around. He’s been up and down since his debut, so I really wouldn’t call him a godsend until he can consistently have better results.
He’s given up two homers to George Springer. Not good.
Are you kidding ? He replaced Maeda, no one else did. Hmm,26 Million versus 750,000, uh, Alex I’ll take Montero for 750,000.
I’m not kidding. It was a step better, but two horrible starts for Montero? Not good. Malloy just bailed him out with his first career grand slam, else this would qualify as three. Yes, I feel more comfortable (barely) with Montero over Maeda, but not a godsend, as you so put it. As I’m typing this, he just gives up yet another XBH (a double) to Springer and then a single to Horwitz Luckily he induced Vlad Jr. into a double play. 4 ER in 5 innings?
I’d say that’s not good, but Maeda is slightly worse. He failed to keep the 4-3 lead that Malloy gave him.
See, you answered your own post. Who would pitch to Springer the third time on here ? Not me. He’s pitched fantastic for the team, and even today. Gave up a one out base hit, left the game and that hit scored. How is Montero to blame for those two runs ? Good grief, there is no one else but this kid now.
I answered my own post? Montero is the reason why the Tigers would lose this game. He had another bad start. Do a little homework on his time up with the Tigers, please. If you do, you’ll discover he’s had one, maybe two good performances, the rest is godawful. He’s barely better than Maeda, no godsend there.
Here’s the homework you should have done……
sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/63428/
It includes his start today.
Your cracking me up, I watched the game. Why did they pitch to Springer the third time ?
Because they have too much faith in Montero. You’re cracking me up twisting and turning to defend him. Montero is like putting lipstick on a turd, so far. Maeda is a turd without lipstick.
Did you even look at the link I posted for you? I thought not. And yes, I’ve suffered through all his starts, surprised by the two good ones. Godawful, yes. Godsend nope.
As bad as Montero is, however, the Tigers don’t have much else to turn to, being two starters down. So instead of a pretty much guaranteed loss in a Maeda start, they have a pretty much guaranteed loss in a Montero start. A catch-22 situation as they can’t go three bullpen games in a five man rotation. When Mize and Olson come back from injury, Montero will be optioned. Maybe with added time in Toledo, he’ll learn how to be a MLB ready pitcher.
Faith ? Just another mistake to not walk him, but it does provide a history of learning for Montero. Next year is next year, I’ve moved to the lets trade Skubal post, perhaps they can trade him an Baez to the Dodgers.
Only way I’d trade Skubal is bundle him with Baez. But I wouldn’t trade Tarik anyway.
Maeda was good for one inning yesterday then imploded. Pitch him for one inning until he shows he can give you more.
Why include Baez? Then they get no decent prospects back AND lose their brst starter. Either don’t trade Skubal at all or trade him for a bucket load of good prospects only. Cut Baez or bench him! They can easily absorb his contract because they don’t have much for contracts on the books.
Unloading the Baez contract is necessary to free up money to get a real shortstop. If you bundle him in with Skubal some team would be gullible enough to take that money on. Cutting him, leaves him on the books of the Tigers for three more seasons. Benching him doesn’t work, especially since he can’t hit anymore, in any situation.
I do realize that Chris could absorb this, but why should he? My thought process is, how badly do you, Orioles or Dodgers or whomever else has been talking to Harris about him, want him? Give us the prospects but take the extreme risk too of taking on Baez and his albatross contract. It then becomes money that doesn’t have to be absorbed by the Tigers.
I realize too, that this scenario isn’t likely anyways and am still in no way advocating for a Skubal trade. I don’t think that Harris is going to receive that overwhelming offer and is just doing due diligence in talking to all callers. We’ll find out soon enough what happens with Tarik.
Godsend? You’re acting like he’s Drew Hutchison or something 😉
I think he has a man crush on Montero. He’s not listening to reason. Hutchison was far better than him, not great, but not awful either. Then he moves on after he realizes I was right about his guy.
They could look at moving Brieske to the rotation and build up his innings. Faedo is also a posibility. Both are former starters.
STYMEEDONE, nice edit after reading my response! I schooled you so badly that you HAD to add Faedo after I mentioned him. Keep licking the cheese, as now it’s drooling from your sorry mouth back on the keyboard.
Yet another gem spewed from STYMEEDONE! Bad choice. Alex Faedo should be the one coming from the BP to the rotation. He’s more suited for the role. Keep licking the cheese that slipped from your cracker onto your keyboard.