- The Tigers activated catcher James McCann, who has been out of action since May 25 due to a laceration on his left hand. McCann will be returning to a “platoon-oriented” timeshare but not exclusively so, Detroit manager Brad Ausmus told reporters (including Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press). The left-handed Alex Avila has a whopping 1.074 OPS over 139 PA this year, so it seems likely that he’ll get the lion’s share of playing time over the right-handed hitting McCann.
Tigers Rumors
Tigers Release A.J. Achter
- The Cardinals have purchased the contract of first baseman/outfielder Chad Huffman, MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch reports (via Twitter). Righty John Gant was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move. Huffman’s MLB career consists of nine games with the Yankees in 2010 and he hasn’t been back to the Show since, bouncing between the Cardinals, Tigers and Indians farm systems, as well as spending parts of two seasons in Japan. Originally a second-round pick of the Padres in the 2006 draft, Huffman has an impressive .281/.376/.463 over 4094 career plate appearances in the minors.
- The Marlins have signed right-hander William Cuevas to a minor league deal, as announced by the A1 Performance Group (Twitter link), Cuevas’ agency. The righty elected free agency earlier this week after rejecting an outright assignment from the Tigers. Cuevas, 26, has a limited Major League resume that consists of one-third of an inning for Detroit this season and five innings for Boston in 2016. The 26-year-old has a 3.67 ERA, 7.2 K/9 and 2.67 K/BB rate over 772 2/3 career innings in the minors, with 103 of his 171 appearances coming as a starting pitcher.
- The Tigers and right-handed reliever A.J. Achter “mutually agreed” upon his release yesterday, tweets SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo. The former Twins/Angels reliever will now hit free agency in search of a new club. Achter, 28, has appeared in 45 games between Minnesota and Anaheim in the past three seasons, pitching to a combined 3.92 ERA with 4.8 K/9, 3.0 BB/9 and a 38.4 percent ground-ball rate in 62 innings of Major League action. He’s had a rough year with Detroit’s Double-A affiliate, however, limping to a 5.34 earned run average with a 24-to-14 K/BB ratio through 28 2/3 innings.
Tigers Activate Kinsler, Option Jones
- The Tigers have announced that they’ve reinstated second baseman Ian Kinsler from the 10-day DL and optioned outfielder JaCoby Jones to Triple-A Toledo. They also announced that catcher James McCann, who suffered a hand laceration after being hit by a pitch late last month, would begin a rehab assignment with Toledo tonight. The Tigers placed Kinsler on the DL on May 27; it appears the hamstring strain that landed him there isn’t especially serious, because he’s back after the minimum time. The 34-year-old is off to a slow start this season, batting .234/.331/.365.
Verlander's MRI Comes Back Clean
- The Tigers announced today that an MRI on Justin Verlander came back clean, and he’ll be reevaluated as the week progresses. (Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press first reported that there was no structural damage revealed by the MRI.) Verlander exited his most recent start early due to discomfort in his groin, though it seems that he’s at least managed to stave off a serious injury. His next start, however, remains TBD according to the Tigers (though Fenech noted that he’s expected to make that outing). Verlander has had an up-and-down season, as his ERA presently rests at 4.63 through 70 innings of work. Outside of 2016 Rookie of the Year Michael Fulmer, the Tigers have seen their rotation struggle. Verlander, Jordan Zimmermann, Matt Boyd and Daniel Norris have combined for a 5.18 ERA on the season, and of the four, Norris’ 4.47 ERA is the best mark.
Tigers Outright Tyler Collins
- Tigers outfielder Tyler Collins will head to Triple-A after clearing waivers, per a team announcement. Detroit designated Collins for assignment last Sunday, and while a trade looked like a possibility then, nothing came to fruition. Before the Tigers jettisoned Collins from their 40- and 25-man rosters, the 26-year-old opened 2017 with a .200/.288/.338 batting line over 146 plate appearances.
Update On Justin Verlander's Groin Injury
- Justin Verlander left during the third inning of today’s 7-4 Tigers win due to groin tightness, a move manager Brad Ausmus said was precautionary in nature (as per MLive.com’s Evan Woodbery and other reporters). Verlander will undergo an MRI just to make sure there isn’t any significant damage, and Ausmus feels the ace should make his next start, though it could be pushed back a day due to an off-day in Detroit’s schedule. Verlander is off to a slow start to the 2017 season, with a 4.63 ERA and career highs in BB/9 (4.24) and hard-hit ball rate (34.2%) through 70 innings.
William Cuevas Elects Free Agency
- The Tigers announced that right-hander William Cuevas, who was outrighted to Triple-A Toledo earlier this week, has rejected the assignment and instead elected free agency. The 26-year-old allowed four runs in a third of an inning in his lone appearance for Detroit this season and has made just four total MLB appearances over the past two seasons (three with Boston in addition to this year’s game with Detroit), but he does have a nice track record in Triple-A. Through 216 1/3 innings of work at that level, Cuevas has a 3.87 ERA with 6.5 K/9 against 3.0 BB/9. He’ll look to latch on with another club, presumably on a minor league deal, now that he’s hit the open market.
William Cuevas Outrighted To Triple-A
- Righty William Cuevas was outrighted to the Tigers’ Triple-A affiliate, as first noted on the club’s transactions page at MLB.com. Cuevas was designated over the weekend, with his 40-man spot going to fellow righty Arcenio Leon. The 26-year-old Cuevas made one appearance for Detroit this season and surrendered four runs in one-third of an inning. He has a 4.06 ERA in nine starts (44 1/3 innings) for the Tigers’ Triple-A affiliate this season and a career 3.87 ERA with 6.5 K/9 against 3.0 BB/9 in 216 1/3 Triple-A innings.
Heyman: Justin Upton Unlikely To Opt Out
- When the offseason rolls around, odds are that Tigers left fielder Justin Upton will not opt out of the remaining four years and $88MM left on his deal, reports Heyman. “Not happening,” one rival general manager said of a potential opt-out. Upton hasn’t lived up to his lucrative contract in his year-plus in Detroit, putting him on track to take the bird-in-the-hand approach.
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Tigers Designate Tyler Collins
The Tigers have designated outfielder Tyler Collins for assignment and selected the contract of fellow outfielder Alex Presley from Triple-A, per a team announcement.
Collins, a member of the Detroit organization since it selected him in the sixth round of the 2011 draft, ranks sixth among Tigers in plate appearances this year, but he hasn’t been productive in those 146 trips. The out-of-options 26-year-old has slashed a meek .200/.288/.338 with four home runs and a 31.5 percent strikeout rate (with an 11.5 percent walk rate), giving him a 72 wRC+ that’s significantly worse than his unspectacular career mark (87) across 529 PAs. On the other hand, Collins has bounced back from subpar 2016 in center field, having accounted for three Defensive Runs Saved and a 2.8 UZR/150 over a small sample size of 169 innings. In the event someone trades for Collins – which manager Brad Ausmus indicated is a possibility (via Evan Woodbery of MLive.com, on Twitter) – that team could control him for the long haul, as he’s not eligible for arbitration until 2019 and won’t become a free agent until 2022.
Presley first joined the Tigers on a minor league pact last July, but he only picked up at-bats with the club and was designated for assignment in late August. The 31-year-old re-signed with the organization on another minors pact over the winter and is now in line to make his Detroit debut. Presley has not performed well offensively at Triple-A this year (.213/.278/.303 in 171 PAs), however, and has also scuffled in the majors. In 1,239 combined plate trips with the Tigers, Pirates, Twins, Astros and Brewers, Presley has batted .253/.295/.382. The lefty-swinger will take Collins’ place as a third center field option to join right-handers JaCoby Jones and Mikie Mahtook, both of whom have offered uninspiring production this year.
