The Tigers announced that they have selected outfielder Akil Baddoo to the 40-man roster. Infielder Jace Jung has been optioned as the corresponding active roster move. The 40-man roster already had a couple of vacancies, due to recently cutting Kenta Maeda and Manuel Margot, so no move was required to open a spot in that regard. Chris McCosky of Detroit News first reported that Baddoo was at the ballpark today and that Jung would be optioned for him.
Jung, 24, is a former first-round pick and top 100 prospect but the Tigers are still waiting for him to click at the big league level. He was promoted late last year and put up a serviceable .241/.362/.304 line in his first 34 big league games, though he did that while striking out at a 30.9% pace. The Tigers clearly weren’t fully convinced by that performance, as they made a strong push to sign Alex Bregman in the offseason, though he went to Boston instead.
Coming into this year, Jung struggled in the spring, hitting .121/.216/.273. He was optioned down to the minors prior to Opening Day but crushed it in Triple-A, slashing .239/.409/.463. That got him recalled three weeks into April but he hasn’t done much with the opportunity. His 28.3% strikeout rate is a slight improvement relative to last year but he has no extra-base hits, leading to a .111/.245/.111 line.
The Tigers apparently want him to work things out with more time on the farm, though he doesn’t have much left to prove there. He slashed .257/.377/.454 for a 123 wRC+ at the Triple-A level last year and, as mentioned, was good at that level for a spell this year. Still, it’s understandable that the club considers his current performance unacceptable for a competitive big league club.
The length of this optional assignment could be significant for Jung. He came into this year with 45 days of major league service time, putting him 127 shy of the one-year mark. He added another 23 days with this recent stretch in the majors but will need to come back up fairly quickly in order to have a shot at getting over that line. There are 137 days left in the regular season at this point.
Jung has been the club’s regular third baseman for past few weeks, so the club will need to come up with a new solution there. Javier Báez, Zach McKinstry, Andy Ibáñez and Trey Sweeney have also started games at third base this year. McKinstry and Báez have also been drawn into the outfield in order to cover for Detroit’s many injuries there, but Baddoo’s promotion will perhaps allow the club to shift some of those utility guys from the grass to the dirt.
Baddoo, now 26, seemingly had a breakout season in 2021. A Rule 5 pick, he hit 13 home runs, stole 18 bases and provided passable outfield defense. However, his bat cratered over the next three seasons. He hit .203/.292/.328 over the 2022 through 2024 campaigns.
That dropped his stock enough that the Tigers were able to pass him through waivers unclaimed in the offseason. He then required hamate surgery in February, putting him on ice during the spring. He has since recovered and has been performing well in Triple-A. He has a .245/.336/.471 line for a 123 wRC+ in 116 plate appearances, with six stolen bases to boot.
The Detroit outfield currently consists of Báez, McKinstry, Kerry Carpenter, Riley Greene and Justyn-Henry Malloy. Carpenter is often in the designated hitter slot while Báez and McKinstry could move to the infield a bit more now, as mentioned, which could open outfield playing time for Baddoo.
Matt Vierling is on a rehab assignment and could factor into the mix soon as well, either at third base or in the outfield picture. Baddoo still has an option and could be sent back down to the minors when Vierling is reinstated.
Photo courtesy of Junfu Han, Imagn Images.
May as well give Baddoo a shot if Jung isn’t going to hit either way. Wouldn’t hate it if they just rode with Jung, though. Baddoo gets optioned the second one of Vierling, Meadows, or Perez gets back.
I agree with you that he is gone when someone ready to come off the Dl. However, I seem to recall he had no options left. If that is true I would look for him to be traded or designated for assisment.
You are correct. We’d have to DFA him again and most likely will when Vierling returns unless he goes on an absolute tear a’la his first few weeks of 2021.
Detroit media reports that Badoo has one option left.
Baddoo doesn’t have any option left. That’s why they had to pass him through waivers during the off season.
He has 1 option left. They DFA’d him to clear a 40 man spot. If they option him, he still occupies a spot
Tigers v. Giants inter-league game will be fun. Jung Baddoo versus Jung Hoo-ligans!
Jung is so lost at the plate
Power went way down last yr in minors
Awful when called up
Even worse now, absolutely atrocious
Not too late to figure it out
But so far the results have been rly ugly
Mayo in baltimore is also struggling in the majors. Some kids need more time
Power was down last year, because he was playing through a wrist injury that was so bad he had to decide which one pitch he was going to swing at the plate.
What’s his excuse this year then?
53 PAs is hardly enough to make any sort of judgment on him.
Baddoo is lost as well. This guy gets so many chances . Seems like there would have been someone else that deserved the opportunity over Baddoo. Not a big fan of his.
Padres, waiting for Baddoo to DFA, and claim him.
The way this was written I was hoping it would rhyme
Jung’s definitely improved at 3B defensively but that’s pretty much all he brings right now. Baez, McKinstry, and Ibanez can cover 3B until Vierling returns and Baddoo will bring some baserunning and hopefully a batting average better than .100
If Baddoo hits, it could be Malloy sent out when the RH Vierling returns, but its a big if.
Jung sure holds the bat funny at the plate. He is quite improved defensively, but the bat has got to play.
Baddoo is a LH bat as is Jung. Baddoo can play all over the OF, which might allow Baez some reps at 3B, but considering how well Javy is hitting, maybe the Tigers shouldn’t mess with a good thing and simply leave him in CF.
My guess is Vierling will be back in 10-14 days, he plays more 3B and Baddoo goes back to Toledo.
I think they’ll do that, too.
Jung was completely lost this entire stint in DET, definitely the weak link on the offense. It was time to toss him back.
Tigers are in a pennant race. They can’t afford to have a roster spot taken by someone not ready for prime time.
Baddoo isn’t the best outfielder in the field and he doesn’t have the best arm. He does have better than average speed. I’m wondering if they are trying to showcase him for a possible trade.
Baddoo is a better outfielder than Malloy, however.
But not much better. Akil Badoo makes web gems out of routine plays. His defense is pretty lame but batter than Malloy’s.
@wellsaid… he was DFA’d last month and no one claimed him.
I agree with you. I dont think any team wants him and I don’t think he should be on Detroits 26 or 40 man roster either.
I’m indifferent to the move, but I will say this:
Jung has improved at 3B and epitomizes the approach at the plate the team stresses. The power/hitting isn’t coming, and it probably can’t be fixed at MLB level. Yet…
I’ve seen enough Akil Baddoo in my life. Yeah, he’ll get hot at AAA, maybe a game or two in the bigs. But hes a “4-A” player. He doesn’t offer you anything at MLB level defensively–he’s not quite JHM level B-A-D but he’s not far off.
I mean, why not wait a week til Vierling is ready to make this move? Or even Rogers if he is ready first–at this point Nido/Dingler’s bat gives you more despite the R handedness.
I’d rather see Hicklen get the call again than Baddoo I think. I’ve just seen this episode 10x already. Ever since his “my hair is too big for my batting helmet when I run” 4 month stretch after initially being a Rule 5 pickup Baddoo has been awful.
I don’t get it.
Then again, Scott Harris and AJ do a lot of stuff I don’t get and they have best record in MLB. So who knows.
[Also…how is it Harris’s two biggest FA signings could be such busts?! Maeda and now Cobb can’t cover firstbase cause he’s too “stiff” despite throwing bullpen for last month. Yeesh.]
Scott Harris would like a word about his 2023-2024 signing of Jack Flaherty.
The reason Baddoo was called up as opposed to Hicklen or Rogers, is we’re going to be facing a lot of right-handed pitching over the next couple weeks. Will he actually hit better than Jung? It would be hard not to at this point. But Akil will probably be DFA’d again as soon as Vierling is ready to return.
Rogers just played his first rehab assignment game last night so he probably won’t return for another week.
I get the reasoning for calling up a Lefty, but it just underscores my “I’d rather see Jung for another seven days til Vierling is activated” stance. Baddoo isn’t the most chase-happy, swing-first player, but he’s certainly not a Keith/Jung/Malloy level patient approach neither. He’s a minus on D…he has range but has a Jello arm.
I’ll trust AJ & Scott because at this point why shouldn’t we…but that also doesnt mean I have to be blindly supporting every move. Much like Holmes & the Lions, and now Trajan & Pistons, I’m confident & comfortable & trusting of any decision they make, it just doesnt mean I’ll like or even understand all of em.
He’s still Jung… Still time to turn it around
Maeda needs another chance as a middle reliever
You are correct he does but it needs to be somewhere else. Maybe in Colorado or with the Angel’s.
Then he would be an ACE.
Not in Detroit, he doesnt.
We kept him throughout the offseason and spring because we were hoping to use a positive relationship with him to get a foot in the door with a number of Japanese prospects. That didn’t come to fruition. Once he lost perceived intangible value it made no sense to keep him for what he was doing from the mound.
He’s never been an aggressive first pitch strike thrower, which is like req #1 of a AJ Hinch bullpen.
He can probably help a team (maybe?), its just not a fit for DET.
Angels, WSox, Brewers have pen needs and ballparks that matchup decently well w his splits.
What’s the point of Baddoo on the club? I don’t know why they’ve kept him around and I don’t understand why they’re bringing him up.
Amen brother. See my comment above!
Baddoo has been decent at Toledo: .245/.471/.336/.807. I think AJ is comfortable with Akil. AJ knows it will be short-term w/Vierling coming back soon. Maybe he just wants access to a late-game PR option with speed for the week or so until Matty’s back.
Swapping one weak hitting AAA player for another does nothing.
Both are actually strong AAA players! Its MLB they struggle with. Haha, no I mean why not see what Baddoo can do? Detroit does have versatility they can play around with.
Teams do this all the time…
Maybe the Tigers are going to give Baddoo a final audition in the hopes of packaging him in a trade. I can’t imagine him as a long term piece in the overall scheme of things. He has been hitting well in AAA, but that’s AAA, not the majors. He’s fun to watch when he gets on base. He’s always a threat to steal, but that doesn’t seem to be a thing the Tigers want to do much this season.
4-A, defensively limited OF’s are a dime a dozen. If a team didn’t have interest before, a 5 or 6 game sample size at MLB level isn’t going to change that.
We also had to add him to the 40 man, which means he’ll get DFA’d in a week and basically be available for free. So teams wouldn’t need to worry about trying to trade for him. We have an open 40 man spot but those will be taken by Perez & Meadows in short order
Baddoo came up from Toledo in my car.
At least Jung went out in style last night with his hit in the 11th inning to set up Javy’s 3-run walkoff HR. Let him get his hitting mechanics right for the rest of the year in Toledo and hopefully he’ll be MLB ready in 2026
Baddoo is back! At least Jace got to play against his brother with his mom in the stands on Mother’s Day. That was a Hallmark moment.
Baddo gets yet another shot…..
WHY is this zero back on the team? They can’t do better than him?
Kinda funny. It’s a testament to how far the Tigers have come that they’ve had to DFA Alex Faedo, cut Kenta Maeda, let Gage Workman get picked off, yet Akil is still around.
Workman is back with the Tigers. Cubs then the White Sox decided his bat was not worth keeping. Pretty damning from the White Sox.
Yabba Dab
Can’t STAND this guy. Anyone but him.
Can’t stand Baddoo. Is he really the best we can do? Good Lord, bring up Max Clark, even just for a cup of coffee. This Baddoo is like a return to bad habits, pre-salad days.