Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Tigers Rumors

Tigers Working Out Spencer Torkelson As An Outfielder

By | at

Parker Meadows and Matt Vierling will both be starting the season on the Tigers’ injured list, while Wenceel Perez is also a bit of a question mark after he received a cortisone shot to deal with a lingering back problem.  With so many absences already in the Detroit outfield, the team is getting creative in looking for answers, as manager A.J. Hinch told reporters (including the Detroit Free Press’ Jeff Seidel) that Spencer Torkelson has been getting in some outfield work, and will play right field in the Tigers’ game with the Pirates on Monday.

Hinch made it clear that Torkelson will get “just a sprinkle” of time in right field and “you’re not going to see him out there routinely….but we’d like it to be part of the availability in game work.”  Even if the Tigers still view Torkelson as a first base/DH candidate, adding some versatility obviously can’t hurt his overall resume, plus it presents another avenue to get his bat into the lineup.

Torkelson played some outfield during his summer league days and at college at Arizona State, but since being selected first overall in the 2020 draft, Torkelson has played only third and first base as a professional.  Nevertheless, Torkelson is “excited for an opportunity” in a new role, and is happy to help the team as much as possible: “We had really key players kind of go down this spring, and…in the time being, we got to find ways to compete and win, and I’ll do whatever it takes.”

Despite his top-prospect status, Torkelson has yet to really get going at the MLB level, as he followed up a promising 2023 campaign with a borderline disastrous 2024.  Torkelson hit only .219/.295/.374 over 381 plate appearances, though his offense did pick up after he returned to the Tigers following a Triple-A stint of over two and a half months.  After Detroit signed Gleyber Torres this winter and subsequently moved Colt Keith from second to first base, there was speculation that Torkelson might even be a trade chip, as the Tigers seemed to be squeezing him into a part-time DH role at best.

However, Torkelson has been on a tear at the plate this spring, perhaps helping his chances at a more regular turn in a DH role.  Torkelson’s case for playing time has been helped by the fact that he is one of relatively few right-handed hitters within a Tigers lineup that tilts heavily to the left, plus the outfield injuries could mean that Kerry Carpenter gets more work in right field than at DH.  Torkelson himself now could be considered for the occasional cameo in right field as situations warrant.

It now seems possible we could get the unlikely combination of Torkelson in right field and Javier Baez in center field at some point during a game, which speaks to the depth issues that have been caused by this sudden spate of outfield injuries.  Chances are that Detroit will simply lean more on utilitymen Andy Ibanez or Zach McKinstry to fill holes while Meadows and Vierling are out, but finding more versatility on the bench (even from unexpected sources) is now a must

Parker Meadows Ruled Out For Opening Day

By | at

Tigers center fielder Parker Meadows won’t be ready by Opening Day, manager A.J. Hinch tells Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. Meadows has been having issues with the musculocutaneous nerve in his upper right arm, which the club can’t seem to activate at the moment.

It seems to be a frustrating situation with little clarity. Hinch said earlier this week that they are trying to “wake it up,” referring to the nerve in Meadows’ arm. In the meantime, Meadows can do some things but can’t throw. He can take some swings, but with just one hand. Once his nerve is awoken, he’ll need to take some at-bats and get back into game shape.

With Matt Vierling set to start the season on the injured list due to a rotator cuff strain, the Tigers will be down two outfielders to start the year. Wenceel Pérez would be a logical fill-in with Meadows on the shelf but he has his own issue. Pérez has been dealing with some back tightness lately. The club announced today, per Evan Woodbery of MLive Media Group, that Pérez received a cortisone injection to address his lingering discomfort. The club still believes Pérez will be ready by Opening Day, per Chris McCosky of Detroit News, but it’s clearly not ideal for so many injuries to be occurring simultaneously.

If Pérez is able to take over in center, he will be flanked by Riley Greene on one side. Kerry Carpenter could perhaps be in the other corner. Carpenter once projected as the regular designated hitter but him taking the outfield more regularly could perhaps open more playing time for Spencer Torkelson, who is having a great spring. The Tigers signed Gleyber Torres to man second base and then bumped Colt Keith to first, squeezing out Tork. But he’s hit four homers in 12 games and could perhaps find himself taking some of those DH at-bats.

Since Pérez is sort of a touch-and-go situation, the club will have to think about backup plans for center field. Greene could perhaps be an option there, with someone like Justyn-Henry Malloy stepping into a corner. They also have utility guys Zach McKinstry and Andy Ibáñez on the roster.

There’s also one other creative solution that is getting some consideration. Hinch tells Jason Beck of MLB.com that he is thinking about getting Javier Báez some action in center. “I’m flirting with the idea of putting Javy out there and getting him a few reps,” Hinch said, “just in case something happens during the season where we end up with that need.”

Báez has just 4 2/3 innings of outfield experience in his big league career, with all of that coming in the corners. He has primarily been a shortstop in his career but his offense has fallen off a cliff in three straight years. Trey Sweeney showed some potential at shortstop last year while Báez was out recovering from hip surgery. Perhaps there’s a scenario where Sweeney takes over the shortstop job for the long term and push Báez into something of a super utility role.

As mentioned, Báez has primarily been a shortstop in his career. But he also has over 2,000 innings at second base, more than 600 frames at third, and brief showings at first and in the outfield corners. Adding center field to his repertoire would make him capable of playing anywhere except the battery. The Tigers are surely hoping their outfield can get healthy enough that they don’t have to consider such a scenario, but there’s no real harm in having it available to them.

Petzold suggests an external addition could be considered if the injuries linger. There aren’t many notable free agents on the market right now but the end of spring always leads to a few players getting cut from other clubs. Players like Kevin Pillar, Trayce Thompson and Travis Jankowski are currently in camp with other clubs as non-roster invitees. A few such players will end up back on the market soon if they don’t get roster spots on their current minor league deals.

Tigers Acquire Bailey Horn

By | at

The Tigers have acquired left-hander Bailey Horn from the Cardinals in exchange for cash considerations, according to announcements from both clubs. The southpaw was designated for assignment earlier today when the Cards signed Phil Maton. Detroit had an open 40-man spot after putting José Urquidy on the 60-day injured list recently. They have already optioned Horn to Triple-A Toledo.

The Tigers clearly have a fondness for Horn. The Red Sox put him on waivers in November, with the Tigers putting in a claim at that time. He stuck on the Detroit roster for over a month but he was bumped off when they signed Gleyber Torres in December, which led to the Cardinals claiming Horn off waivers. As mentioned, he was DFA’d by St. Louis just a few hours ago but the Tigers quickly pounced and put down some cash to acquire him again.

Horn, 27, has a very limited major league profile. He debuted with Boston last year, allowing 13 earned runs in 18 innings. His 14.8% strikeout rate and 11.4% walk rate in that time were both subpar numbers.

Detroit is surely putting more weight in Horn’s minor league numbers, where he has shown huge strikeout potential but also a lack of control. From 2021 to 2024, he logged 213 1/3 innings for various minor league clubs with a combined 4.26 ERA. His 12.7% walk rate on the farm is certainly high but he also punched out 29% of batters faced.

As mentioned, Horn has already been optioned, so the Tigers seem to view him as a depth arm for the time being. He can head to Triple-A and try to rein in his control, while being shuttled to the majors when necessary. Tyler Holton will give Detroit one lefty at the big league level, while Andrew Chafin could give them another if his contract is selected. Brant Hurter might be in the mix but likely more as a long man. Horn and Sean Guenther give the club a couple of optionable southpaws to be called upon as needed.

AL Notes: Meadows, Pérez, Mateo, Estévez

By | at

The Tigers are facing a few injuries in their outfield mix, with each of Matt Vierling, Parker Meadows and Wenceel Pérez battling health issues. Vierling has already been ruled out for Opening Day due to a rotator cuff strain and Meadows might not make it for the opener either.

Meadows has been experiencing a nerve issue in his upper right arm. He tells Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press that the issue is with the musculocutaneous nerve specifically, which isn’t progressing much. Meadows still hasn’t been cleared to throw, which obviously means he can’t play, though he has been doing some other activities that don’t involve throwing.

“He’s not full go,” manager A.J. Hinch said today. “He’s just making incremental steps, whatever that means. And he’s not ready for games. He’s not close to games right now, but that can change as soon as soon as we shake this nerve up, wake it up. Things are better than they were, but still not full go.” Meadows still thinks he can be ready by Opening Day but that will obviously be dependent on things improving in the next week or two.

Pérez has some back tightness and was supposed to return to the lineup today but that has not come to pass and he might be held out of tomorrow’s game as well. With Vierling and Meadows hurt, Pérez would have been a logical candidate to jump into the outfield but his back issues make that a bit iffy. Hinch downplayed the concern, saying that the club is just being “uber cautious”, but it’s yet another question mark for the club.

Riley Greene will be in one outfield spot and could perhaps be joined by Meadows and/or Pérez. If not, Kerry Carpenter could take some time out there, letting Spencer Torkelson get some time as the designated hitter. Justyn-Henry Malloy is also on the 40-man and the Tigers also have utility players Andy Ibáñez and Zach McKinstry as potential contributors.

Some other notes from around the American League…

  • Orioles utility player Jorge Mateo is recovering from last year’s elbow surgery. A month ago, general manager Mike Elias stated that Mateo was unlikely to be ready by Opening Day, but the player himself is now feeling a bit more optimistic. “I think we’re going to make it,” he said this week to Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun. That could be a key development for the O’s since shortstop Gunnar Henderson is battling an intercostal strain and it’s unclear if he’ll be ready for Opening Day himself. Even if Henderson is good to go, having Mateo on the roster next to him would give the club a bit more cover at the position.
  • Royals right-hander Carlos Estévez signed a two-year, $22MM deal with the Royals about six weeks ago but still hasn’t made his spring training debut with his new club. The reliever has been battling some back tightness which has put him a bit behind schedule. Manager Matt Quatraro today provided a positive update to Anne Rogers of MLB.com, saying that Estévez threw live batting practice yesterday, which went “really well.” That puts him in line to make his Cactus League debut on Friday. With about two weeks until Opening Day, Estévez should be able to avoid the injured list if he doesn’t hit any setbacks between now and then.

Tigers Sign José Urquidy

By | at

The Tigers have signed free agent right-hander José Urquidy to a one-year, $1MM contract for 2025, the team announced. The deal comes with a $4MM team option for 2026. That team option also includes escalators that could increase Urquidy’s salary by up to $3MM. He will earn an additional $150K for reaching each of four and seven starts; $300K for reaching each of 10, 13, 16, and 19 starts; and $500K for reaching each of 22, 25, and 28 starts.

To free up space for Urquidy on the 40-man roster, the Tigers placed fellow right-hander Sawyer Gipson-Long on the 60-day injured list while he continues to recover from left hip labral repair and Tommy John surgery. The team has also placed Urquidy on the 60-day IL; he is recovering from Tommy John surgery of his own.

Urquidy spent the first six years of his MLB career with the Astros. While he looked like a solid mid-rotation starter in 2021 and ’22 (3.81 ERA, 4.22 SIERA in 49 games), the righty had a rough year in 2023. He struggled out of the gate in April before landing on the IL with shoulder troubles. His struggles continued upon his return in August, and he soon lost his spot in the starting rotation.

Unfortunately, Urquidy’s troubles only got worse in 2024. He opened the season on the injured list and eventually required UCL surgery in June. After clearing waivers in November, he elected free agency.

Urquidy will not be ready to return to action until midseason at the earliest, so he will not factor into the ongoing rotation battle in Tigers camp. Tarik Skubal, Jack Flaherty, and Reese Olson are locks for the Opening Day rotation, and top prospect Jackson Jobe has the inside track on the number four spot, according to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. However, with Alex Cobb expected to miss the beginning of the season, one spot at the back end is still up for grabs. Casey Mize, Kenta Maeda, and Keider Montero are the primary candidates to win that job.

Meanwhile, Urquidy will continue his rehab in the Tigers organization. Once he is ready to get back on the field, he can provide depth as a back-end starter or long reliever. In a best-case scenario, Urquidy returns and looks like his old self, which would make his club option for 2026 a bargain. Meanwhile, the worst possible outcome for the Tigers is that they pay him $1MM to rehab in 2025 and cut their losses at the end of the year if he struggles or fails to get back on the mound.

Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 was the first to report the agreement between Urquidy and the Tigers. Chris McCosky of the Detroit News confirmed that it was a major league deal.

Ty Madden Diagnosed With Rotator Cuff Strain

By | at

The Tigers released medical updates on various players in camp, with Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press among those to pass them along. One of the more notable items on the list is that right-hander Ty Madden has a rotator cuff strain in his throwing shoulder. It’s unclear how long the Tigers expect him to be out but it seems fair to expect him to miss at least a few weeks.

Madden, now 25, made his major league debut last year. He tossed 23 innings over six appearances. Only one of those was technically a start, with manager A.J. Hinch deploying his “pitching chaos” strategy, but each was a bulky outing between 2 1/3 and 5 innings. Madden allowed 4.30 earned runs per nine in that time.

He also had a 6.98 ERA over 22 minor league starts, though that’s likely a misleading number. His 28.3% strikeout rate was solid and his 9.8% walk rate only a tad higher than average. He allowed 18 home runs but also had a .371 batting average on balls in play and 58.9% strand rate. His 4.79 FIP was more than two runs lower than his ERA.

Going into 2025, Madden wasn’t likely to break camp in the rotation. Even with Alex Cobb likely to start the season on the injured list due to hip inflammation, the Tigers project to have Tarik Skubal, Jack Flaherty and Reese Olson in three spots. Candidates for the final two spots include Casey Mize, Kenta Maeda, Jackson Jobe, Brant Hurter, Keider Montero, Matt Manning and Madden. The Tigers should be fine in terms of cobbling a rotation together while Madden is out, but they will have one fewer depth option for the time being.

Another item of note in the injury report is that catcher Brian Serven has been diagnosed with a left oblique strain. Again, no specific timetable was provided for his injury but it seems fair to expect him to miss some time. Serven is in camp on a minor league deal and isn’t the most essential part of the organization. However, the Tigers only have two catchers on their 40-man roster in Jake Rogers and Dillon Dingler. Assuming Serven could still be recovering in a few weeks, they could start the season with less non-roster depth. Tomás Nido is also in camp but perhaps the Tigers will bring in another veteran on a minor league deal, either now or when guys get squeezed out by camp cuts in the coming weeks.

The injury report also notes that Wenceel Pérez has been dealing with some low back tightness. That doesn’t seem to be an especially worrisome issue, but it’s something to keep an eye on, given the other hits to the outfield depth in Detroit. Matt Vierling has a rotator cuff strain and will start the season on IL while Parker Meadows has been battling a nerve issue in his right arm with an uncertain timeline.

Pérez is a logical guy to fill in while Vierling and perhaps Meadows miss some time, though that obviously wouldn’t happen if Pérez is himself injured. Per the injury report, both Meadows and Vierling have begun some light baseball activities, so perhaps the outfield concern won’t last too long into the season.

MLBTR Podcast: Jose Quintana, Luis Gil’s Injury, The Nats’ TV Situation, Salary Floor Talk, And More!

By | at

The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

Plus, we answer your questions, including…

  • With MASN now solved and stadium naming rights and jersey patches on the way do you see the Nationals making the leap into big spenders sooner than later? (12:30)
  • Do you see the MLBPA pushing for a salary floor? (22:05)
  • Will the White Sox trade Luis Robert Jr. before the start of the regular season? (25:20)
  • While neither is particularly likely, is it more probable that the Pirates extend Paul Skenes or the Reds extend Elly De La Cruz? (27:40)
  • What is your opinion of the White Sox upper management and will they lose 100 games this year? (30:45)
  • The Mets are loaded with infield prospects. Do they trade Jeff McNeil to make room? (37:30)
  • With the Tigers’ outfield injuries, do they go get a right-handed bat? And who is available? (42:00)
  • With the Mariners bringing back most of their position players, what are the chances they get better production from them in 2025? (44:30)
  • Does David Bote have a legitimate shot to make the Dodgers’ roster? (50:35)
  • Why doesn’t MLB expand to 36 teams instead of just 32? (51:35)

Check out our past episodes!

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Parker Meadows Sidelined By Nerve Issue In Right Arm

By | at

Tigers center fielder Parker Meadows has halted baseball activities due to a nerve problem in his upper right arm, manager A.J. Hinch told reporters (including MLive.com’s Evan Woodbery).  It is unclear at this point if Meadows will be ready for the start of the season, due to what Hinch noted as the fluid nature of the injury.

“My understanding is that we’re in a wait-and-see situation,” Hinch said.  “We have to get that nerve firing again for [Meadows] to resume baseball activities.  It could be short-term, or it could linger a little.  No one has a firm timeline, but we feel like we’re on a good path now that we have a diagnosis and a treatment plan.”

After hitting .232/.331/.368 over 145 plate appearances during his 2023 rookie season, Meadows took another step forward by batting .244/.310/.433 in 298 PA last year, with the increase in slugging percentage fueling his jump from a 95 wRC+ in 2023 to a 111 wRC+ in 2024.  The improvement didn’t come in smooth fashion, however, as Meadows hit so poorly over the first six weeks that the Tigers demoted him to Triple-A in early May, and didn’t recall him until early July.  Upon returning to the Show, Meadows almost immediately picked up a hamstring injury that put him on the injured list for another month.

Meadows was activated from the 10-day IL on August 3, and proceeded to hit a strong .296/.340/.500 with six homers over his final 201 PA of the season while playing pretty much every day in center field.  Between this production at the plate and his excellent glovework, Meadows was one of the key drivers of the late-season surge that saw the Tigers go from deadline sellers to a wild card berth.  Meadows then kept it going in October, batting .269/.345/.462 in 29 PA during Detroit’s playoff run.

If Meadows can continue this type of offense in addition to his strong defense and baserunning, the former second-round pick projects as a cornerstone piece for a Tigers team that has emerged from its rebuild.  The plan was for Meadows to again be the everyday center fielder, though this nerve problem throws a possible wrench in the works.

Riley Greene or Wenceel Perez are the likeliest candidates to handle center field if Meadows does need to miss time, but the larger issue is that the Tigers may suddenly have a shortage of outfield depth.  News broke yesterday that utilityman Matt Vierling will start the season on the IL while recovering from a rotator cuff strain, leaving the Tigers without a player projected to get playing time at either third base or right field (or a mixture of both positions).  If Meadows’ nerve problem sets him back enough that he’ll also need to hit the injured list, utilitymen Zach McKinstry or Andy Ibanez will get more playing time in some capacity, and Detroit could also utilize Kerry Carpenter in right field whenever a right-handed pitcher is on the mound.

10 Out Of Options Players To Watch This Spring

By | at

One of the most interesting elements of spring training every year, at least for those of us who feast on roster construction minutiae, is the collection of players who are out of minor league options. MLBTR just released a full list of such players earlier today.

In many instances, a player being out of minor league options is inconsequential. Justin Steele, Isaac Paredes and Evan Phillips are among the players who fit that description but are in no risk of losing their MLB roster spot. They're all key players on big league rosters who'd never be in danger of being sent down to the minors anyhow.

However, there are typically a handful of players every spring who are on the roster bubble with their current club but who could be a better fit on a team with less competition in their current position. Most of these players have already had big league opportunities with their current club but whether due to injury or poor performance (or both) have yet to firmly seize hold of a roster spot. As players exhaust their minor league options, they'll tend to face increased competition from younger players progressing through the minor league ranks and/or external additions made via trade or free agency. An out-of-options player who doesn't fit his current roster can still go on to find a more solid role and some success elsewhere. Joey Bart was in just this spot last year and after being squeezed out in San Francisco has emerged as Pittsburgh's starting catcher. The Yankees didn't have a spot for Ben Rortvedt, but he's the Rays' clear No. 2 catcher now.

Let's run through 10 names to keep an eye on this spring. Not all of these players will lose their roster spots, and even some who do might not wind up making an impact elsewhere. But each of the names listed here has some reason to hold a bit more intrigue than many of their out-of-options brethren (players listed alphabetically)...

Unlock Subscriber-Exclusive Articles Like This One With a Trade Rumors Front Office Subscription

BENEFITS
  • Access weekly subscriber-only articles by Tim Dierkes, Steve Adams, and Anthony Franco.
  • Join exclusive weekly live chats with Anthony.
  • Remove ads and support our writers.
  • Access GM-caliber tools like our MLB Contract Tracker

Matt Vierling Ruled Out For Opening Day Due To Rotator Cuff Strain

By | at

The Tigers announced this morning that third baseman/outfielder Matt Vierling has been diagnosed with a strained rotator cuff in his right shoulder. He will be shut down for a period of rest before being re-evaluated for baseball activities. Manager A.J. Hinch informed reporters, including Evan Woodbery of the MLive Media Group, that Vierling will not be ready by Opening Day and will start the season on the injured list.

Vierling, 28, has been a solid player for the Tigers over the past two years. He hit .259/.320/.406 for a 104 wRC+ over the 2023 and 2024 seasons. He mostly played the outfield but also took significant playing time at third base and dabbled at second and first.

Going into 2025, the club projects to have prospect Jace Jung as the regular at third base. Vierling could have been an option to cover there if Jung struggled but was likely to be the regular right fielder, with Riley Greene in left field and Parker Meadows in center.

For as long as Vierling is out of action, the Tigers will have to adjust their plans. Ideally, Jung would take the third base job and run with it, but he has just 34 major league games under his belt thus far. Without Vierling, the top fallback options will be utility infielders like Andy Ibáñez and Zach McKinstry. Perhaps Javier Báez could be another option if Trey Sweeney is handling shortstop, or vice versa.

There are more question marks in the outfield. Meadows is also battling some inflammation in his upper right arm. He is currently being evaluated and the club should provide further updates in the coming days.

At this point, Greene a lock for one outfield spot. Meadows would have another if his issue is minor and he can be ready by Opening Day. Kerry Carpenter could be in the mix for some outfield playing time but he could also act as the designated hitter with regularity. Wenceel Pérez and Justyn-Henry Malloy are on the 40-man roster and have options. They previously projected to start the season in Triple-A but have a better path to big league playing time with Vierling out of action. Ibáñez and McKinstry could also play the outfield in a pinch. Akil Baddoo started camp as a non-roster depth option but required hamate surgery last week and will himself be out of action for a few weeks.

If Vierling is able to get healthy and return fairly early in the season, then this could all be a small blip in the larger context of the full season. Though if the issue ultimately proves significant, that would naturally lead to a larger level of concern. That’s especially true of Meadows also needs to miss some time. If the Tigers decide to add some position player depth, guys like Jose Iglesias, Alex Verdugo, David Peralta and others remain unsigned in free agency.

Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

hide arrows scroll to top