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Tigers Release Jonathan Schoop

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July 14: The Tigers announced that Schoop has now cleared waivers and been granted his release.

July 12: The Tigers have released Jonathan Schoop, according to the transaction tracker at MLB.com. Once he clears release waivers, he’ll be a free agent.

This was the expected outcome when Detroit designated the veteran infielder for assignment on Friday night. Schoop’s offensive struggles — he’s a .204/.248/.311 hitter going back to the start of 2022 — meant he was never likely to attract trade interest. He’s making $7.5MM this season (a little more than $3MM of which is still to be paid out), which no club is going to assume via waiver claim.

After hitting the market, the 31-year-old should be able to find some interest around the league. He’s a former All-Star who rated as a Gold Glove caliber defensive second baseman a season ago. Schoop’s offense has evaporated the past couple years, but he’s a career .254/.293/.428 hitter through parts of 11 big league campaigns.

Given his struggles at the plate, Schoop might be limited to minor league opportunities for now. If he cracks another team’s MLB roster this season, that club would pay him the prorated amount of the $720K league minimum salary for however long he’s in the majors. Detroit will remain on the hook for the rest of the contract.

Dodgers To Sign Jake Marisnick To Major League Deal

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The Dodgers are signing outfielder Jake Marisnick to a major league deal, reports Kenny Van Doren of Bally Sports Midwest. The Tigers announced earlier today that Marisnick had cleared waivers and elected free agency after being designated for assignment a few days ago, which has quickly led to a new deal. The Dodgers have a full 40-man roster and will need to make a corresponding move to make room for Marisnick.

Marisnick, 32, has spent many years in the big leagues, generally providing speed and excellent outfield defense but hitting at a subpar rate. He spent many years with the Astros in this capacity but has become a journeyman in recent seasons, bouncing to the Mets, Cubs, Padres, Pirates, White Sox and Tigers since the start of the 2020 campaign, with the Dodgers now added to that list.

This winter, he signed a minor league deal with the White Sox and was added to that club’s roster in early May. He spent just over a week with them before being designated for assignment and accepting an outright. The Sox traded him to the Tigers, who also carried him on the big league roster for a while, that stint lasting a bit more than a month before he got the DFA treatment yet again.

Between those two clubs, he hit .225/.263/.408 in 77 plate appearances for a wRC+ of 82. Those numbers are fairly close to his career output, which has resulted in a batting line of .228/.281/.385 and a wRC+ of 81. He stole two more bases, bringing his career tally to 81, and received positive grades for his defense. For his career, he’s tallied 81 Defensive Runs Saved, 53 Outs Above Average and a score of 24.5 from Ultimate Zone Rating.

The Dodgers have been juggling pieces in their middle infield this year, with Gavin Lux likely to miss the whole year after suffering a torn ACL in his right knee during Spring Training. Miguel Vargas has struggled to such a degree that the club optioned him to the minors going into the All-Star break. With utility player Chris Taylor on the injured list, the club has moved Mookie Betts in from right field to play a lot of second base next to shortstop Miguel Rojas.

With Betts moving to the dirt, the outfield has generally consisted of James Outman, David Peralta and Jason Heyward most days. Trayce Thompson would have been in that mix were he not on the injured list as well. Marisnick will likely slot into the club’s bench behind that group, alongside Jonny Deluca, likely to be deployed as a pinch runner or defensive replacement.

Tigers Designate Jake Marisnick For Assignment

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The Tigers announced that outfielder Jake Marisnick has been designated for assignment.  The move opens up a 40-man roster spot for Trey Wingenter, who was activated off the 60-day injured list and optioned to Triple-A.

Detriot acquired Marisnick from the White Sox in cash transaction at the end of May, just when Riley Greene suffered a stress reaction in his left fibula.  Greene just returned from the 15-day IL this weekend, and even though the Tigers will somewhat ease him back into action via DH duty and some more frequent off-days, the team felt comfortable enough to move on from Marisnick.

Over 33 games and 75 plate appearances in a Tigers uniform, Marisnick hit .232/.270/.420 with two home runs, though the 11-year veteran has never been known for his bat.  Marisnick has generally been an excellent defender throughout his career, and the public defensive metrics (+4 Outs Above Average, +15.5 UZR/150, +4 Defensive Runs Saved) have loved his work over 206 innings as a center fielder in 2023.  It’s a bit of a bounce-back for Marisnick after some slightly more inconsistent defensive numbers in recent years, though it’s worth noting the small sample-size factor, as Marisnick has been a part-time player for most of the last four seasons.

If Marisnick clears waivers, he’ll have the right to decline an outright assignment to Triple-A Toledo, since he has previously been outrighted in his career.  The 32-year-old might opt to remain in Detroit’s farm system as depth, or perhaps choose free agency in search of yet another team in need of defensive outfield help at the big league level.  Marisnick has played for eight MLB teams over his 11 seasons, though he is best remembered for his six-year run with the Astros that included a World Series ring in 2017.

AL Central Notes: Tigers, Polanco, Benintendi

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Tigers right-hander Matt Manning through 6 2/3 hitless innings yesterday, combining with Jason Foley and Alex Lange to throw the ninth no-hitter in franchise history. While the decision to pull a starter in the midst of a no-hitter is always a controversial one, manager A.J. Hinch shed additional light on the decision following yesterday’s game, noting to reporters (including Chris McCosky of The Detroit News) that Manning had been struggling through the outing and was evaluated by team trainers between each inning. Manning expanded on Hinch’s comments, noting that he tweaked his side during the second inning. Fortunately, it appears Manning avoided a more serious injury, and the 25-year-old hurler will have the opportunity to rest during the All Star break ahead of the second half.

The Tigers also offered an update regarding left-hander Tyler Alexander today. Alexander was placed on the 60-day injured list with a left lat/shoulder strain last week, a move that seemingly indicated the lefty’s season could be in jeopardy. Following an MRI, the club has more clarity regarding Alexander’s timeline for return. Per McCosky, Alexander will avoid surgery but be shut down for three months. He’ll resume a throwing program in October that should leave him able to return in time for Spring Training in 2024. Alexander had posted a 4.50 ERA and 4.13 FIP in 44 innings of work across 25 appearances this season.

More from around the AL Central…

  • Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey told reporters (including Betsy Helfand of the Twin Cities Pioneer Press) that second baseman Jorge Polanco is expected to start a rehab assignment in the near future as he recovers from a hamstring strain he suffered early last month. Polanco has been limited to just 30 games this season and has slashed .250/.291/.450 when healthy enough to play. While Polanco has been out, youngster Edouard Julien has filled in at the keystone very well with an impressive .264/.345/.273 slash line in 149 plate appearances this season.
  • White Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi has been dealing with a right wrist issue recently, which Scott Merkin of MLB.com says has been “addressed” according to manager Pedro Grifol. Benintendi hasn’t played since Friday, but is expected to return to action after the All Star break in Atlanta. Benintendi hasn’t been as impactful this season as the White Sox were surely hoping when they signed him to a five-year deal this past offseason, slashing .280/.347/.369 with just one home run in 314 plate appearances, good for a roughly league average wRC+ of 99. The Sox entered play today with a record of just 38-53 this season, but are surely hoping an extended rest for Benintendi ahead of the midsummer classic will allow him to return healthy and more impactful in the second half.

Tigers Activate Riley Greene, Beau Brieske

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The Tigers announced a quartet of roster moves in advance of this afternoon’s game with the Blue Jays.  Outfielder Riley Greene was activated from the 15-day injured list and right-hander Beau Brieske was activated from the 60-day IL, while Jonathan Schoop was designated for assignment (as reported yesterday) and Alex Faedo was optioned to Triple-A.

Greene suffered a stress reaction in his left fibula in late May, interrupting what had been a breakout season for the 22-year-old.  Greene was hitting .296/.362/.443 with five home runs and six stolen bases (in six chances) over his first 224 plate appearances.  While his 28.6% strikeout rate is still high, Greene’s 9.4% walk rate is above the league average, and he is making a lot of hard contact.  A huge .410 BABIP does hint that some regression is inevitable, yet Greene’s combination of solid contact and excellent speed makes him a candidate for better batted-ball results anyway.

Selected fifth overall in the 2019 draft, Greene is a key figure of the Tigers’ rebuild, especially given how the team is hurting so badly for any offensive production.  If Greene can pick up where he left off, Detroit might be able to get a bit closer to contention before the trade deadline, and the Tigers might be able to avoid another deadline selloff.  Despite the club’s 38-49 record, the relative weakness of the AL Central has kept Detroit on the fringes of the playoff race, as the Tigers are only six games back of the first-place Twins.

Brieske’s return will also help a pitching staff that has been hit hard by injuries for the second consecutive season.  Due to a right ulnar nerve entrapment that arose during Spring Training, Brieske has yet to pitch in 2023.  The righty posted a respectable 4.19 ERA over 81 2/3 innings in his 2022 rookie season, though he didn’t pitch after July 12 due to a forearm strain.  Brieske worked as a starter last year, but he has been used only as a reliever in the minors this season, perhaps as a way to slowly rebuild his arm strength after the long layoff.

Detroit might prefer Brieske as a multi-inning relief weapon if enough healthy options can be otherwise found for the starting five, but otherwise, it seems likely that Brieske will get some starts at some point.  An opening in the rotation might already be available with Faedo optioned, and Detroit’s staff could look quite different if the team does trade away some notable veterans (i.e. Eduardo Rodriguez or Michael Lorenzen) at the deadline.

Tigers Designate Jonathan Schoop For Assignment

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TODAY: The Tigers officially announced that Schoop has been DFA’ed.

JULY 7: The Tigers are designating veteran infielder Jonathan Schoop for assignment, reports Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free-Press. The club has yet to announce the move.

Once official, it’ll close the book on a nearly four-season tenure in the Motor City. The Tigers first signed the former All-Star second baseman to a $6.1MM pact heading into 2020. Schoop put up a quality .278/.324/.475 line over 44 games during the abbreviated season. Detroit brought him back on a $4.5MM guarantee the next winter, and the right-handed hitter put together another strong season.

Schoop played in 156 games and hit .278/.320/.435 with 22 home runs. As an impending free agent on a rebuilding Detroit club, he looked a logical deadline trade candidate. Instead, Detroit held him past the deadline and extended him on a two-year, $15MM deal in August. That contract contained matching $7.5MM salaries for 2022-23 and allowed Schoop to opt out after the first season.

The third contract did not pan out. Schoop’s offense has cratered. He hit .202/.239/.322 across 510 trips to the plate last year. He made the obvious call to return to Detroit rather than testing the open market. Hopes of a rebound campaign have been dashed by a nightmarish first half. Schoop hasn’t connected on a single home run and carries a .213/.278/.272 batting line over 55 contests.

Between the two seasons, he’s a .204/.248/.311 hitter. Among the 203 hitters with 600+ plate appearances since the start of last season, Schoop ranks last in on-base percentage and third from the bottom (above Nicky Lopez and Myles Straw) in slugging. Detroit has pushed him from everyday second base work into more of a platoon capacity, giving most of the recent second/third base reps to Andy Ibañez and Zach McKinstry.

Schoop is due a little less than $3.5MM from now through season’s end. No team is going to take on that money given his offensive struggles. He’s likely to be released within the next few days. Once he clears waivers, the Tigers would remain on the hook for the bulk of that sum. Any team that adds Schoop would owe him just the prorated portion of the $720K minimum for whatever time he spends on their MLB roster.

While he might be limited to minor league offers at that point, he should be of interest to clubs seeking infield depth. Schoop is still just 31 and was a career .262/.301/.448 hitter through the end of 2021. He can cover either second or third base and remains an excellent defensive option at the keystone, in particular.

Statcast credited Schoop as a staggering 21 runs above average with the glove last season. Defensive Runs Saved wasn’t quite so bullish but still rated him among the league’s best at +8 runs. He’s not likely to repeat quite so exceptional a defensive season, but both DRS and Statcast have pegged him a few runs above par in 160 2/3 second base innings this year as well.

Yankees Claim Anthony Misiewicz From Tigers

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The Yankees have claimed left-hander Anthony Misiewicz off waivers from the Tigers, according to announcements from both clubs. The Yankees had an open 40-man roster spot due to Jimmy Cordero’s recent suspension. Misiewicz has been optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Misiewicz, 28, has been collecting jerseys at a rapid rate over the past year. He spent the early parts of his career with the Mariners and was with them until he was designated for assignment at the end of July last year. Since then, he was acquired by and subsequently DFA’d by the Royals, the Cardinals and the Diamondbacks. The latter club lost him to the Tigers on waivers, who now have lost him to the Yankees on this latest waiver claim. All in all, that’s six different organizations in less than a year.

Amid all those transactions, he’s only been able to toss 8 1/3 innings in the big leagues this year with an 8.64 ERA in that small sample. He’s managed to log 16 1/3 innings in the minors with a 4.41 ERA. Prior to this season, he had 127 major league appearances with a 4.74 ERA, striking out 23% of batters faced while walking 7.1% of them.

For the Yankees, they unexpectedly opened a roster spot this week with the news of Cordero’s suspension and have used it to grab a lefty with some solid results in his track record. He has less than three years of service time and a couple of options seasons, including this one, meaning he can be utilized as an up-and-down reliever for the foreseeable future if he hangs onto his 40-man spot this time around.

AL Central Notes: Twins, McKenzie, Greene, White Sox

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The Twins shuffled their bullpen around a bit today as the club announced that right-hander Jorge Lopez had been reinstated from the injured list. The former All Star was placed on the 15-day IL last month for mental health reasons and told reporters (including Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com) that he’s feeling good about where he’s at as he returns to the mound while expressing appreciation for the organization’s support during his IL stint.

The 30-year-old righty broke out in a big way with the Orioles last season, posting a 1.68 ERA and 2.99 FIP in 48 1/3 innings before Baltimore shipped him to Minnesota at the trade deadline for a package including 2023 relief standout Yennier Cano. Since joining the Twins, Lopez has struggled to a 4.71 ERA and 5.37 FIP in 49 2/3 innings. Lopez, who has two seasons of team control left through arbitration, will look to get his Twins career on track going forward this season as part of a Twins bullpen currently relying on Emilio Pagan, Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran in the late innings.

Lopez’s return isn’t the only change in the Twins bullpen on the horizon, however, as manager Rocco Baldelli told reporters, including The Athletic’s Aaron Gleeman, that righty pitching prospect Jordan Balazovic, who had recently been pitching in long relief out of the major league bullpen, will be shortened up and used as a more traditional reliever going forward. Balazovic has impressed in his first call-up to the big leagues this season, with a 1.23 ERA in 7 1/3 innings across six appearances.

More from around the AL Central…

  • Guardians right-hander Triston McKenzie will look to recover from last month’s UCL sprain without going under the knife, per The Athletic’s Zack Meisel. Meisel notes that the 25-year-old righty will be shut down for three more weeks but that Cleveland is hopeful McKenzie will be able to return to the big league mound at some point this season. The prospect of McKenzie returning this season is surely a tantalizing one for Guardians fans, as the young right-hander broke out in a big way last season with a 2.96 ERA in 191 1/3 innings of work. With McKenzie on the shelf, Cleveland is currently utilizing a rotation of Shane Bieber, Cal Quantrill, Aaron Civale, Tanner Bibee, and Gavin Williams.
  • Tigers outfielder Riley Greene began a rehab assignment with the club’s Triple-A affiliate in Toledo yesterday, with Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic among those noting that he’ll be in the lineup tomorrow. That Greene is seemingly nearing a return is fantastic news for the Tigers, who returned left-hander Tarik Skubal from the injured list today and are surely hoping to receive a similar boost from the return of Greene. The 22-year-old outfielder has posted a 127 wRC+ in 224 plate appearances this season in conjunction with stellar center field defense.
  • The White Sox announced today that they had recalled outfielder Oscar Colas to the major league roster. Colas made the club’s Opening Day roster this season as the primary right fielder but struggled to a slash line of just .211/.265/.276 in 84 plate appearances before returning to Triple-A. He’s hit well with the club’s affiliate in Charlotte since then, however, boasting a solid .293/.359/.508 slash line in 212 plate appearances. That performance has seeming earned Colas another shot in right at the big league level, where he’ll likely share time with Gavin Sheets going forward.

Tigers Reinstate Tarik Skubal, Place Tyler Alexander On 60-Day IL

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The Tigers announced that they have reinstated left-hander Tarik Skubal from the 60-day injured list. In a corresponding move, lefty Tyler Alexander is going the other way, having been placed directly onto the 60-day IL with a left lat/shoulder strain. Alexander’s IL placement is retroactive to July 3.

Skubal, 26, returns to the big league mound for the first time in almost a year. He was enjoying a breakout season last year, posting a 3.52 ERA through 21 starts with a 24.5% strikeout rate, 6.7% walk rate and 45.7% ground ball rate. Unfortunately, his last outing was August 1 of last year, after which he required flexor tendon surgery.

Skubal’s injury has been just one of many suffered by the Tigers’ rotation. Each of Beau Brieske, Alex Faedo, Casey Mize, Matthew Boyd, Eduardo Rodriguez and Spencer Turnbull are currently on the IL due to various ailments. Matt Manning also missed significant time, though he is now back with the club and Rodriguez is expected to be activated tomorrow. Those pitching injuries are a big reason why the club is sitting on a meager 37-46 record, but that’s still good enough to be just 5 games back in the American League Central. Perhaps some rotation stability brought by the returns of Skubal, Manning and Rodriguez can help the club stay afloat with the deadline now just weeks away.

As for Alexander, his involvement in today’s moves comes as a surprise. He wasn’t previously on the injured list and pitched on Sunday without a public indication he was hurt. Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic relays that Alexander won’t undergo an MRI until the inflammation goes down. Given that he’s been quickly placed on the 60-day IL and there’s less than three months left on the schedule, it seems fair to wonder if his season is in jeopardy. He has a 4.50 ERA this year in 44 innings, striking out 24.3% of opponents against a tiny 2.8% walk rate.

Tigers Release Heath Hembree, Trevor Rosenthal

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The Tigers released right-handers Heath Hembree and Trevor Rosenthal, according to Chris McCosky of the Detroit News (Twitter link).  Rosenthal signed a minor league contract with Detroit in March, while Hembree inked a minors deal of his own in May.

Neither player saw any action for the Tigers this season at the big league level, in large part due to injury.  Hembree made only six appearances (pitching six innings) with Triple-A Toledo, after spending more than a month on the injured list — Toledo just activated him from the IL on Friday.  As for Rosenthal, he tossed three minor innings before undergoing elbow surgery in mid-June.

This elbow procedure is the latest in a series of injuries that has plagued Rosenthal’s career for well over five seasons.  Since the start of the 2018 campaign, Rosenthal has thrown only 39 innings in the majors, due to such varied injuries as a Tommy John surgery, thoracic outlet syndrome surgery, and a hip surgery.  The nature of this latest elbow surgery isn’t known, but it is fair to wonder if it could be one setback too many for Rosenthal, and whether or not he might be considering retirement at age 33.

Hembree signed a minors deal with the Rays during the offseason and pitched in one game for Tampa before being designated for assignment.  The 11-year veteran had enough service time to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency, which led to his signing with the Tigers.  Best known for his seven seasons with the Red Sox from 2014-2020, Hembree has since pitched for a whopping seven different teams, appearing at the MLB level with all of those clubs except Detroit.

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