The Tigers are going to select the contract of infielder/outfielder Jahmai Jones, reports Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. Infielder Andy Ibáñez has been optioned to Triple-A Toledo as the corresponding active roster move. Petzold suggests that outfielder Akil Baddoo could be designated for assignment to open a 40-man spot, though it’s unclear if that’s pure speculation or not.
Jones, 27, signed a minor league deal with the Tigers in the offseason. He has since been playing for Triple-A Toledo and putting up good numbers, with a .276/.392/.482 line and 139 wRC+. That’s at least partially inflated by a .345 batting average on balls in play but Jones also has six home runs and is drawing walks at a strong 11.7% clip while keeping his strikeouts down to a reasonable 22.4% level.
In addition to that strong work at the plate, Jones has stolen eight bases and bounced around the diamond. He has lined up defensively at all three outfield spots and second base. He hasn’t had any action at the infield corners this year but has done so previously in his career.
That’s a nice performance but the issue with Jones is that he has always performed well in the minors but hasn’t clicked in the majors yet. Dating back to the start of 2021, he has a .263/.382/.453 line and 122 wRC+ on the farm. In the majors, he has a far worse .198/.257/.278 line and 50 wRC+, though he’s only been allowed to make 137 total plate appearances scattered over several seasons dating back to 2020.
It’s possible the Tigers envision a short-side platoon role for Jones, a right-handed hitter. The Detroit outfield has three regular lefties in Riley Greene, Parker Meadows and Kerry Carpenter. They also have other lefties getting playing time, including Colt Keith, Zach McKinstry and Trey Sweeney. Though Jones hasn’t clicked in the majors overall, he has a .304/.360/.565 line against southpaws and has good numbers against them in the minors as well.
Jones is out of options, so he can’t be easily sent back down to the minors if the Tigers want to shake up the roster later. But if he manages to stick, he can be cheaply controlled for years to come as he doesn’t yet have enough service time to qualify for arbitration and won’t be able to get there by the end of this season.
Jones getting a roster spot will cost Ibáñez his. Ibáñez was claimed off waivers from the Rangers going into 2023 and has been a fixture of the Tigers since, but with diminishing production. He hit .264/.312/.433 for a 104 wRC+ in 2023, followed by .241/.295/.357 and an 87 wRC+ last year. So far in 2025, he’s down to .213/.292/.319 and a 77 wRC+. He’ll try to get back on track in Toledo. Once he spends 20 days on optional assignment, he’ll burn his final option year and will be out of options going into 2025.
Photo courtesy of Junfu Han, Imagn Images
Ibanez has been a waste of a roster spot this year, and at 32 isn’t getting younger. Let’s see what JJ can do!
Why not DFA Ryan Kreidler vs Badoo? Six of one half dozen of another so no big difference but at least Baddo is a slightly better hitter in the MLB than Kreidler
Unfortunately, Baddoo provides little value on defense. Kreidler is at least an option at SS.
Gruß,
BSHH
Baddoo has been very good on defense in many games.
mlb.com/tigers/news/akil-baddoo-flashes-glove-in-f…
Baddoo needs a change of scenery
Baddoo needs to put on DFA today. See if you can move him to someone else and move on. If you can’t move him then release him and don’t resign him.
Kind of reminds me of the situation with Brandon Inge and Jim Leyland. It was like Inge had something on Leyland no matter how poorly he performed.
Tigers are going to have to make a splash at the deadline. They need another starting pitcher, another RP and some sort of RH’d bat.
The team is starting to revert to the mean.
Time for MLBTR to start speculating.
They are 7-3 in their last 10 games, have the best record in baseball, and just got Meadows back. They’re reverting to the mean bc they lost two games on the road after their bullpen was spent? Ok.
Exactly. That bullpen is getting used up. Mize, Jobe and Olson have all been on the DL. Relying on Montero and Gibson-Long to be meaningful starters for months is asking a lot. The season isn’t even 1/2 way over.
Perez has been a welcome bat. Ibanez has not produced. Vierling is on the shelf. I wouldn’t count on that shoulder holding up. Meadows hasn’t produced since that 1st game. Again, he has shown he can do it, but what if he takes a month to heat up again.
Tigers will need a starter, RP and bat.
I’ll be watching Toronto. They’re still in the hunt…barely. Would Sweeney, Max Anderson and Jake Miller pry Bo Bichette away? He’d be a rental.
Could Ryan O’Hearn be had for a couple pitching prospects? The O’s need some young pitching. How about Paul Wilson and RJ Petit?
Andrew Heaney from the Pirates won’t cost a ton. Zac Gallen from the D-backs is having a down year. Again, won’t break the bank to get him. Tyler Anderson from the Halos might also help and not cost a ton.
Mize is no longer on the IL. Gibson Long had one start, he was never going deep. I’m not saying they shouldn’t go out and get some definite upgrades…but to say they are reverting to the mean is simply not true. They aren’t a mediocre .500 team anymore.
Tigers ARE reverting to the mean. It doesn’t mean they won’t win the division. It means they aren’t going to win 103 games.
Tigers have 98 games to go and stand at 41-23…a .641 win %.
They will NOT go 62-36 from here. Guaranteed.
A 95 win season would be 54-44, which would still be great.
After Skubal, I have concerns re. the rest of this staff’s durability. Even Flaherty’s.
And again, this bullpen is being tasked with a lot.
I love my Tigers, but there are some holes in that lineup. I would definitely not stand pat with this roster and what they have in the minors.
I definitely would not stand pat either. But I also think 103 wins is completely rational and attainable. Even moreso if they make a couple of moves.
Pirates would be a good fit in a trade. Heaney or Keller maybe? Bednar or someone else? Hayes?? Not sure what the Tigers would give back though.
Hey man, we all see the need for every team in the running to go get upgrades. But like seriously, did they not need a starter down the stretch last season? Heck, they needed three. Did they not need a bat last season? Where was Tork, where was Dingler? They figure out ways to win. They’ll get something at the deadline, but just because a few guys are shelved and a few relievers are subpar doesn’t call for panic. With six games in hand, they can afford to see if Gipson-Long (please, please, it’s Gipson) and Montero can get something going. They can afford to let Brieske and Holton figure things out. They can afford to let Meadows heat up at the plate. You’re seriously demanding perfect health and above average play from every single roster spot even though we have the best record in baseball. Some people just won’t ever be satisfied.
Tigers don’t need another starter
They have:
Skubal
Flaherty
Olson
Mize
Jobe
Keider Montero
Sawyer Gipson-Long.
Alex Cobb and Ty Madden hurt and may be back before too long.
Some need to get rest, healthy and get back to team
Jamai Jones, eh? Just another AAAA bench warmer..
I can’t believe its been five years since he was on the Angels. Another Dipoto classic
1st pitch he saw tonight. Bottom of the 8th solo HR. Tigers won 3-1. There you go, Jamai. His dad once played for the Detroit Lions. Maybe he’s found a home.
Tigers need to option Breiske too, call up someone who can throw strikes. I cringe every time he pitches, you know he’s gonna walk at least 1 player and then give up a hit or 2. He’s not throwing like he did last season, probably has a sore arm and won’t admit it
I agree with you. Breiske is not throwing strikes like last year and they are losing winnable games when he is on the mound. They need to add a reliever that can throw strikes to go with the other guys who can do that.
Unfortunately Faedo was DFA’d this offseason.
He didn’t have it in ST.
Hinch should have not used him in that game against the Dodgers. That was on Hinch. The pitcher performed great last year, has not this year. Hinch keeps his expectations=perceptions.until diaaster strikes.
The really big news is Bryce Rainer, the Tiger’s #3 prospect and future SS, is having shoulder (his R, throwing) surgery. He has a +++ throwing arm. This is the same injury Colt Keith suffered in the minors that ruined his chances to play on the left side of the infield. Keith did not have surgery. Rainer will. Hopefully, his arm returns to 100%. He is done for the 2025 season.
Hopefully Rainer can get to High A…and maybe AA next year. 2027 arrival in Detroit could still happen.