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Tigers Rumors

J.D. Martinez Leaves Game With Sprain In Right Foot

By Mark Polishuk | March 18, 2017 at 10:44pm CDT

Tigers outfielder J.D. Martinez suffered a sprain in his mid-right foot while making a catch on Saturday and left the game after just an inning.  (Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press has the details.)  X-rays were negative and Martinez will be re-evaluated on Sunday before the club decides that any further tests are necessary.  He was seen on crutches and left the ballpark in a walking boot, though Martinez told reporters (including MLB.com’s Jason Beck) that “it’s good that I’m able to move on it.”  Needless to say, losing Martinez for any extended length of time would jeopardize both the Tigers’ lineup and Martinez’s chances at a big free agent contract next offseason as one of the top players on the open market.

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Boston Red Sox Chicago White Sox Detroit Tigers Los Angeles Angels New York Yankees Dustin Ackley J.D. Martinez Michael Kopech Michael Pineda

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Tigers Notes: Center Field, Cabrera

By Jeff Todd | March 17, 2017 at 10:43pm CDT

The Tigers are continuing to scan the market for center field upgrades, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets. Detroit has been looking around for more options throughout camp, though perhaps the time isn’t quite ripe to make a move with other organizations holding onto their depth until their own situations are resolved. Rosenthal notes that JaCoby Jones has shown most impressively thus far among the in-house competitors with a .346/.393/.615 batting line. Alex Presley has also hit well this spring, though he has spent most of his time in the majors in a corner spot, while fellow competitors Tyler Collins and Mikie Mahtook have each struggled at the plate in game action.

  • Miguel Cabrera left yesterday’s WBC action with back tightness, but Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said he’s not concerned with his star’s health, as Evan Woodberry of MLive.com reports. Team Venezuela skipper Omar Vizquel, who’s also a member of the Detroit coaching staff, notified Ausmus that it’s nothing more than a minor issue.
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Cleveland Guardians Detroit Tigers Milwaukee Brewers Minnesota Twins Carlos Carrasco JaCoby Jones Keon Broxton Michael Brantley Miguel Cabrera

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Sanchez Making Mechanical Adjustments

By Steve Adams | March 14, 2017 at 10:43pm CDT

  • Searching for answers to his recent decline, Tigers right-hander Anibal Sanchez tried out some new mechanical tweaks in a bullpen session with manager Brad Ausmus (a former big league catcher), writes Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press. Sanchez, Ausmus and pitching coach Rich Dubee were trying out a new arm slot in an effort to bolster the 33-year-old’s velocity after a dip in recent seasons. As Fenech notes, Sanchez’s spring has been nightmarish to date, and he’s done nothing to offer optimism of a turnaround following last year’s disastrous 5.87 ERA in 153 1/3 innings. Fenech writes that if Sanchez’s struggles are significant enough, the team could potentially opt to simply eat the remaining $21MM on his contract ($16MM 2017 salary plus a $5MM buyout on his 2018 option) and release him. Certainly, that’s not a desirable result, though the Tigers have numerous younger options in the rotation, as can be seen on their depth chart at Roster Resource.
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Cleveland Guardians Detroit Tigers Kansas City Royals Minnesota Twins Anibal Sanchez Carlos Carrasco Salvador Perez

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Fighting For Roster Spot, Lowe Makes Mechanical Changes

By Steve Adams | March 13, 2017 at 10:05am CDT

  • Tigers righty Mark Lowe tells George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press that catcher James McCann noticed a slight differentiation in his mechanics from 2015 to 2016 when examining video, and Lowe is hopeful that the subsequent alterations he’s made will help him to restore his lost velocity. Lowe went from averaging 95.5 mph on his heater in 2015 to just 92.4 mph last season in a year that culminated in a disastrous 7.11 ERA over the life of 49 1/3 innings. Though Lowe will earn $5.5MM in 2017, Sipple notes that he’s not a lock to make the Opening Day roster if he doesn’t perform this spring, so there’s plenty at stake for the veteran 33-year-old. Lowe did toss a shutout inning on Sunday, following the mechanical adjustments.
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Chicago White Sox Detroit Tigers Minnesota Twins Charlie Tilson Jose Berrios Mark Lowe Peter Bourjos Ryan Vogelsong Tyler Duffey

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Trio Of Expensive Tigers Arms Struggling

By Steve Adams | March 10, 2017 at 9:06am CDT

The Twins have hired former big league right-hander Jeremy Hefner as an advance scout, Hefner himself announced (Twitter link). Hefner, who was forced to retire due to myriad injuries (including a pair of Tommy John surgeries in 2013-14), notes that he’ll help formulate game plans and reports for the Major League club and adds that he’ll have some non-traditional duties with his new position as well. The 30-year-old Hefner last pitched in the Majors back in 2013 when he tossed 130 2/3 innings of 4.34 ERA ball with 6.8 K/9 against 2.5 BB/9 for the Mets.

More from the division…

  • Despite a pause in their sell-off, the White Sox remain open for business, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes. Indeed, as GM Rick Hahn told MLBTR in February, the club would have preferred to have made four more deals at this point. But that doesn’t mean the team is ready to deal just to move salary, and some rival officials think the Sox are setting unrealistic price tags on their remaining veterans. “I think our asks are commensurate with what we are willing to give up,” Hahn tells Sherman, while noting the team is still open to deal. Sherman also looks at how Jerry Reinsdorf came around to the idea of selling, with the veteran owner finally agreeing that the organization’s best shot at capturing another title would come through a rebuild.
  • While it’s still early in camp, the results from right-hander Anibal Sanchez haven’t been encouraging, as Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press writes. Sanchez, along with expensive veterans Mike Pelfrey and Mark Lowe, have all been knocked around thus far, and Fenech notes that it’s difficult to imagine a team with postseason aspirations breaking camp with all three on the roster. Sanchez, who has allowed 11 earned runs in 5 2/3 innings, is owed $16MM this coming season plus a $5MM buyout on his 2018 option. Pelfrey’s struggles have been similar (eight runs in six frames), and he’s set to earn $8MM in the second season of a two-year deal. Lowe is set to earn $5.5MM and has surrendered three runs in his 3 2/3 innings, albeit with a more encouraging 5-to-1 K/BB ratio. Obviously any spring stats — especially those accumulated through March 10 — should be taken with a large grain of salt, but none of that trio performed well in 2016, either.
  • The Indians’ payroll will surpass $100MM for the first time this year, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post, who notes that the lack of holes on a roster with a still-limited payroll — Cleveland’s projected $124MM payroll will rank in the bottom half of the league — is fairly remarkable. Cleveland is trying to determine who will claim the final spot in the bullpen, who will serve as a utility infielder and who will claim the remaining reserve outfield role, but beyond that the roster is largely set. General manager Mike Chernoff noted to Sherman that his team typically wouldn’t be able to pursue a marquee name like Edwin Encarnacion, “…but having cost controllable guys allowed one big guy.”
  • Michael Brantley will play in a five-inning simulated game — his third simulated contest of the week, writes Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The Indians still don’t know exactly what they can expect of Brantley, though Hoynes spoke to manager Terry Francona quite a bit about Brantley’s progress and the team’s hopes. As Francona observed to Hoynes, if Brantley is able to return to his former self — a big if — Cleveland will have effectively added two dynamic middle-of-the-order bats to an already imposing lineup.
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Chicago White Sox Cleveland Guardians Detroit Tigers Minnesota Twins Anibal Sanchez Jeremy Hefner Mark Lowe Mike Pelfrey

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Tigers Notes: Center Field, Martinez, Catcher

By Steve Adams | March 7, 2017 at 8:46pm CDT

Center field has been a question mark for the Tigers since trading Cameron Maybin to the Angels on the first day of the offseason, and to this point, the most logical scenario has looked to be a platoon between the out-of-options Tyler Collins and trade pickup Mikie Mahtook. Anthony Gose was previously outrighted off the 40-man roster — though he remains in the organization — and although JaCoby Jones was a frequently mentioned candidate, he’s still rather inexperienced at the position after shifting there from shortstop. Nonetheless, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press tweeted today that Detroit manager Brad Ausmus offered high praise for Jones’ glovework thus far in camp and characterized him as a legitimate candidate to land the job. That said, Fenech also tweets that scouts have told him that the Tigers are continuing to monitor other teams in search of potential center field alternatives to their in-house candidates.

A bit more on the Tigers…

  • Right fielder J.D. Martinez tells MLB.com’s Jason Beck that he was “really bothered” by the precipitous drop-off in his defensive ratings from 2015 to 2016. Martinez went from a Gold Glove finalist with very sound grades from Ultimate Zone Rating and Defensive Runs Saved (in 2015) to one of the worst defensive outfielders in all of Major League Baseball in the estimation of those same metrics just one year later. Beck points out, though, that Martinez’s outfield assist total plummeted from 15 to three, while his error total rose (despite tallying fewer innings). Martinez expressed frustration with the downturn and said he’s placed an increased emphasis on his defense in an attempt to rebuild his reputation in the outfield. While the slugger did acknowledge that defensive prowess is becoming an increasingly important factor in free agency — and Martinez will hit the open market next winter — he stressed that his focus on improving his defense is to help the Tigers’ 2017 performance.
  • Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com writes that the Tigers are looking to add some more catching depth and wonders if their recent back-to-back pair of games with the Phillies could offer a potential solution. Salisbury notes that the Phillies have a number of catching options in camp, including veteran Ryan Hanigan, whom the Tigers saw quite a bit when he started consecutive games against them this week. Former Tiger Bryan Holaday is also vying to be the backup to Cameron Rupp in Philadelphia, as are younger options Andrew Knapp and Logan Moore (though Knapp isn’t considered a trade candidate). James McCann and Alex Avila are currently lined up to be the primary backstops for Detroit in 2017, with minor league veteran John Hicks also on the 40-man roster as a Triple-A depth option. Barring an injury to McCann or Avila, I’d imagine that any catching addition would be Triple-A bound himself, though certainly there’s value in accruing additional depth at a thin position.
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Detroit Tigers J.D. Martinez JaCoby Jones

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No Structural Damage In Adam Ravenelle's Elbow

By Connor Byrne | March 5, 2017 at 2:08pm CDT

  • The elbow MRI that Tigers reliever Adam Ravenelle underwent after leaving the team’s game Saturday didn’t show any structural damage, according to manager Brad Ausmus (via Evan Woodbery of MLive.com). “He’ll get a second opinion to be safe, but they don’t think it’s anything major. I’m sure he feels better about it, more than anyone else, having been through surgery already,” said Ausmus, referring to the ulnar nerve procedure Ravenelle underwent in 2012. Baseball America ranks the 24-year-old as Detroit’s No. 8 prospect.
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Boston Red Sox Detroit Tigers Houston Astros Texas Rangers Adam Ravenelle Dallas Keuchel Fernando Abad Joey Gallo Jurickson Profar Lance McCullers Jr. Robby Scott Tyler Thornburg

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Adam Ravenelle To Get MRI On Elbow

By Connor Byrne | March 4, 2017 at 6:10pm CDT

  • Tigers righty reliever Adam Ravenelle departed the team’s game Saturday with elbow discomfort and will undergo an MRI, skipper Brad Ausmus announced (via Evan Woodbery of MLive.com). Ravenelle, a non-roster invitee whom Baseball America ranks as Detroit’s eighth-best prospect, underwent ulnar nerve surgery in his elbow in 2012, per Woodbery. More recently, the 24-year-old combined for 67 1/3 innings at three different levels last season. The plurality of his work came at Triple-A Toledo, where he put up a 4.85 ERA to go with 6.98 K/9 against 4.85 BB/9 in 29 2/3 frames.
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Atlanta Braves Boston Red Sox Colorado Rockies Detroit Tigers Los Angeles Angels New York Mets Adam Ravenelle Armando Rivero Chris Rusin David Price Jacob deGrom Tyler Skaggs

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Tigers Face Tough Roster Decisions

By Steve Adams and Jeff Todd | March 3, 2017 at 9:14pm CDT

  • The Tigers are facing a tough decision with powerful outfielder Steven Moya and versatile infielder Dixon Machado, writes MLive.com’s Evan Woodbery. Both players are out of minor league options, but there’s likely only one open spot on the Tigers’ bench. Alex Avila is on hand to back up James McCann behind the dish, while Andrew Romine has one utility infield job locked down. One of Tyler Collins and Mikie Mahtook is likely to be on the bench each day as well, as they’re poised to form a center field platoon. Manager Brad Ausmus noted that it’s a particularly difficult situation, as it’d be tough to get either player any sort of consistent at-bats during the regular season. But, as Woodbery notes, both could have clearer paths to playing time in 2018. Ausmus specifically noted that he can’t see Moya passing through waivers, so perhaps the team has a slight inclination to keep the 25-year-old slugger. Moya slugged 25 homers in 526 plate appearances between Triple-A and the Majors last season.
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Chicago White Sox Detroit Tigers Houston Astros Seattle Mariners Brett Lawrie Carlos Rodon Charlie Morton Dixon Machado Mike Freeman Shawn O'Malley Taylor Motter

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K-Rod, J. Wilson Nursing Hamstring Injuries

By Steve Adams | March 2, 2017 at 1:55pm CDT

  • Tigers relievers Francisco Rodriguez and Justin Wilson both missed their scheduled appearances on Wednesday due to hamstring soreness, writes Evan Woodbery of MLive.com. Wilson won’t throw for the next few days as he hopes to mend his injury, while K-Rod is slated to pitch on Saturday. Tigers Manager Brad Ausmus said Rodriguez could “probably” have pitched yesterday, but the team didn’t want to rush him and risk worsening his situation.
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Cincinnati Reds Detroit Tigers St. Louis Cardinals Texas Rangers Toronto Blue Jays Andrew Cashner Anthony DeSclafani Francisco Rodriguez Glenn Sparkman Justin Wilson Luke Weaver Matt Carpenter Tyler Lyons

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