- The Tigers are planning to be “extra cautious” with right fielder J.D. Martinez as he returns from a foot injury, Heyman writes. However, there’s little chance of the Tigers pursuing him as a free agent this offseason due to the fact that the team still intends to trim down its long-term payroll outlook. Re-signing Martinez, who ranked sixth on MLBTR’s Free Agent Power Rankings earlier today, could require another sizable commitment of five or more years if Martinez has a typical season at the plate.
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Tigers Rumors
Jose Iglesias Headed To 7-Day DL; Joe Jimenez To Be Recalled
- Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press writes that the Tigers are expected to place shortstop Jose Iglesias on the 7-day disabled list due to a concussion sustained when he took a knee to the jaw in the final play of Wednesday’s night contest. Detroit is slated to recall prized relief prospect Joe Jimenez from Triple-A Toledo. Jimenez was sent down fewer than 10 days ago, but he can return sooner than the typical 10-day minimum due to the fact that he is replacing an injured player.
Tigers Option Cuevas, Promote Saupold
- The Tigers announced that, after Friday’s game, they optioned righty William Cuevas to Triple-A Toledo and promoted righty Warwick Saupold to take his place. Cuevas made his 2017 big-league debut Friday and didn’t make a good impression, giving up four runs over just a third of an inning. Saupold was off to a good start for Toledo, allowing just two runs and three walks while striking out nine over 10 2/3 innings.
Jimenez Demotion Could Be Short-Term Move
- Though many Tigers fans were upset with the team’s decision to demote ballyhooed relief prospect Joe Jimenez after one appearance in the Majors, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press argues that the move represented a logical course of action for a club in need of temporarily lengthening its bullpen. Detroit would’ve been without a long reliever in the first game against the division-rival Indians and would have been exposed in the event of a short outing from starter Daniel Norris, Fenech writes. And the risk of further depleting the bullpen by having to turn to the likes of Francisco Rodriguez, Justin Wilson, Alex Wilson and Kyle Ryan in the first game of a series against their top competition in the AL Central wasn’t a scenario with which Detroit wanted to be faced. “If something happens tomorrow with Daniel Norris early in the game, we won’t make it nine innings unless Andrew Romine toes the rubber,” manager Brad Ausmus told reporters after the game. Jimenez figures to be back with the team in short order, according to Fenech, though he’ll need to spend at least 10 days in the minors. Fenech also adds that righty Anibal Sanchez “is not going anywhere” in the near future, as he’s the team’s most experienced piece of rotation depth and the club still believes he can get outs in the Majors, even if he won’t ever return to peak form.
Tigers Select William Cuevas' Contract, Option Joe Jimenez
- The Tigers announced following today’s game that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander William Cuevas from Triple-A Toledo. Detroit had an open 40-man spot, but the corresponding 25-man move was somewhat of a surprise, as the team optioned right-hander Joe Jimenez back to Toledo. Jimenez, one of the Tigers’ most touted prospects, tossed a scoreless inning of relief in his MLB debut today against the Twins, but his initial stay in the Majors will ultimately prove to be brief in nature. Cuevas will give the Tigers a long option in the ’pen after the team’s relief corps was depleted in today’s 11-5 loss. The 26-year-old has worked both in the bullpen and rotation in recent years as a minor leaguer but is stretched out as a starter at the moment. He brings a career 3.65 ERA with 6.5 K/9 against 3.0 BB/9 in Triple-A to what will be his second Major League team; Cuevas made his big league debut with the Red Sox last season when he threw five innings of relief across three appearances.
Tigers Notes: J.D. Martinez, Anthony Gose
- Tigers right fielder J.D. Martinez has begun taking batting practice and could be activated from the disabled list by early May, writes Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press. Manager Brad Ausmus tells Fenech that Martinez is “slightly ahead of schedule,” though he declined to get into any specifics about the length or location of a potential rehab assignment for the slugger. Martinez has been on the shelf since Opening Day due to a Lisfranc injusry in his left foot, and in his absence, the Tigers have utilized Tyler Collins and Mikie Mahtook in right field while young JaCoby Jones in center field.
- Former outfielder Anthony Gose, who is converting to the mound, has begun facing hitters in extended Spring Training, tweets Evan Woodbery of MLive.com. Tigers manager Brad Ausmus got positive reports on Gose’s curveball in particular. At the time he was drafted, Gose was considered a two-way prospect, as Baseball America noted in its draft report on him that he featured a “blistering fastball” that peaked at 97 mph. While many liked him better as a pitcher, Gose had some shoulder troubles prior to the draft that prompted the move to the outfield.
Tigers Sign James Loney To Minor League Deal
The Tigers announced today that they’ve signed veteran first baseman James Loney to a minor league contract. Loney will report to extended Spring Training for the time being as he gets back up to speed after sitting out since late March, when he was released from Rangers camp.
Loney was released by the Rays early last year in the final season of a three-year, $21MM contract, though he latched on with the Mets and spent the bulk of the 2016 campaign with New York, filling in for the injured Lucas Duda. In 366 plate appearances with the Mets, Loney slashed .265/.307/.397 with nine homers, 16 doubles and a triple. Defensively, he rated out as slightly above average at first base, per Defensive Runs Saved (+2) and slightly below average, per Ultimate Zone Rating (-0.8).
The Tigers don’t have much of a need for Loney at the Major League level presently, with Miguel Cabrera locking down first base and Victor Martinez lined up as the primary designated hitter, but the 32-year-old Loney (33 next month) will add some depth to cover the team in the event of an injury. Detroit currently has Efren Navarro manning first base for its Triple-A affiliate in Toledo, though Navarro can play some corner outfield as well, and Loney comes with considerably more Major League experience. In parts of 11 Major League seasons, Loney is a career .284/.336/.410 hitter that has averaged a dozen homers and 30 doubles per 162 games played.
Central Notes: Martinez, Reds, Hughes, Thames
Tigers right fielder J.D. Martinez was able to take BP yesterday, manager Brad Ausmus tells Evan Woodberry of MLive.com (via Twitter). That puts the slugger a bit ahead of schedule in his rehab timeline from a lisfranc sprain in his right foot. The expectation had been that Martinez would not resume baseball activities until mid-April. Detroit is obviously hoping to get Martinez back quickly, while also balancing the need to ensure he doesn’t suffer a setback along the way.
Here’s more from the central divisions:
- Reds skipper Bryan Price is backing up the organization’s promise to utilize unconventional bullpen tactics, as C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes. Yesterday, top setup man (and occasional closer option) Michael Lorenzen entered with the bases loaded in the third, putting out that fire and staying in to record three scoreless frames. (That’s not all; Lorenzen will also factor as a pinch-hitter.) Top baseball ops man Dick Williams has preached outside-the-box thinking for the rebuilding organization, with flexible, multi-inning relief outings representing one point of apparent focus. Top closer option Raisel Iglesias is also slated to continue throwing more than one frame from the pen at times, as he did on 17 occasions last year.
- New Brewers reliever Jared Hughes discussed his transition from the NL Central-rival Pirates with Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. He wasn’t surprised when he was cut loose by Pittsburgh, the only organization he had known to this point. “They told me early in spring that if it wasn’t going to be a great spring that they might need to part ways,” said Hughes. He noted, though, that struggling in camp is mostly a byproduct of his big frame. “I’ve got long levers,” said Hughes. “I need to get the timing of my sinker. … My sinker was not sinking the way it should have been. By the end of spring I was getting groundball outs. I’d imagine the Brewers saw it, and that’s what I’m doing now in the season.” Indeed, Hughes has generated eight grounders in 4 1/3 scoreless innings, though he has also issued four walks against just one strikeout thus far.
- Another new Brewers player, first baseman/outfielder Eric Thames, took a much more circuitous route to Milwaukee. MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy details how he landed with the Brewers, identifying the statistical and scouting analysis — as well as the “old-school sit-down” — that led to the three-year, $16MM pact. Thames, who is back in the majors for the first time since 2012, is off to a fine start. He owns a .333/.429/.611 slash through 21 plate appearances, though that comes with the usual sample caveats. Thamas has also gone down on strikes eight times against three walks and has hit safely on over half the balls he put in play.
Tigers Option Bruce Rondon, Select Contract Of Joe Jimenez
The Tigers have optioned right-hander Bruce Rondon to Triple-A Toledo and selected the contract of highly touted relief prospect Joe Jimenez, the team announced Monday morning. The Tigers have three open spots on the 40-man roster, there’s no corresponding move necessary to bring Jimenez to the Majors.
It’s been a brutal start to the season for the 26-year-old Rondon, who has made three appearances but recorded just four outs. Rondon has been roughed up for six runs on four hits and three walks with just one strikeout in this season’s brief sample. With Rondon in Toledo to get back on track, left-hander Justin Wilson will become the team’s primary setup option to closer Francisco Rodriguez, manager Brad Ausmus tells reporters (Twitter link via MLB.com’s Jason Beck).
Rondon has been heralded as a potential closer in Detroit, and the fanfare he’s received is understandable. Though he’s never put everything together in the Majors, the right-hander has averaged 98 mph on his fastball and punched out 10.4 hitters per nine innings pitched in his Major League career (97 1/3 innings). That said, Rondon’s brief career has been marred by inconsistency as well as a 2015 incident in which the Tigers sent him home early for the year due to his “effort level.” Last season looked to be a turning point for Rondon, as he logged a 1.80 ERA with a 33-to-9 K/BB ratio across his final 25 innings, but he’ll now again look to rediscover his top form in the minors.
As for Jimenez, the 22-year-old will head to the Majors and make his MLB debut the first time that Ausmus calls him into a game. There’s no doubt that the Puerto Rican righty earned his promotion; in 53 2/3 innings across Class-A Advanced, Double-A and Triple-A last season, Jimenez logged a ridiculous 1.51 ERA with 13.1 K/9, 2.9 BB/9 and a 34.3 percent ground-ball rate. He rated between fourth and sixth among Tigers farmhands according to Baseball Prospectus (subscription required), MLB.com, ESPN’s Keith Law (subscription required) and Fangraphs’ Eric Longenhagen.
Jimenez is touted as a potential closer and a definite candidate for a high-leverage relief role, thanks to a 70-grade fastball and an impressive slider. Law notes that both his command and slider took steps forward in 2016, which bodes well for his long-term outlook.
Brad Ausmus Concerned About Bruce Rondon's Struggles
- Tigers manager Brad Ausmus is concerned about the early season performance of reliever Bruce Rondon, who got the loss against Boston on Sunday after allowing three earned runs on two walks and a hit. Rondon failed to record an out in the eighth inning, when he entered with a one-run lead, and has allowed a combined six earned runs in his past two appearances. “His velocity has been down, and his location has not been good,” Ausmus told Jason Beck of MLB.com. Ausmus isn’t ruling out using Rondon in lower-leverage situations until he rights the ship, but the club hasn’t discussed demoting him to Triple-A. The 26-year-old was outstanding for the Tigers across 36 1/3 frames last season, evidenced by a 2.97 ERA, 11.15 K/9 and 2.97 BB/9. His velocity has indeed dipped a bit since then, as Ausmus mentioned.
