Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Tigers Rumors

Tigers Reinstate Matthew Boyd, Option Daz Cameron

By | at

The Tigers have reinstated left-handed pitcher Matthew Boyd from the 60-day injured list, per a team announcement. Boyd will start this afternoon’s game against the Blue Jays. To make room on the active roster, outfielder Daz Cameron was optioned to Triple-A. No corresponding move was required for the 40-man roster as the team has multiple slots available.

Before going on the IL in mid-June with a triceps issue, Boyd was en route to perhaps his best season to date. Through 70 2/3 innings, the 30-year-old has an ERA of 3.44, almost a full run better than his previous best of 4.39 in 2018. With his return, he will have more than a month to try and build on that success before going into what could be his last offseason as a Tiger. He is currently slated to reach free agency after the 2022 season, which figures to be an important campaign both for he and the club. For Boyd, he will be looking to have a strong platform season in order to earn a nice paycheck on the open market, but the team will be looking to make a move from rebuilding to contending. The emergence of young starters such as Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal and Matt Manning has strengthened the rotation around Boyd, giving the club a framework to build upon.

As for Cameron, it’s been something of a stop-and-start season for the outfielder. This is his second time being optioned this year, and he’s been on the IL twice as well. Amidst all of that, he’s gotten into 25 games at the MLB level, putting up a line of .177/.235/.342, wRC+ of 55. However, the 24-year-old has much better numbers in his 23 Triple-A games, a wRC+ of 130 thanks to a line of .309/368/.495.

Tigers Place Erasmo Ramirez On Release Waivers

By | at

4:49PM: Ramirez has been placed on release waivers, the Tigers announced.

2:22PM: The Tigers have designated right-hander Erasmo Ramirez for assignment, per a club announcement. They’ve also reinstated catcher Eric Haase from the 10-day injured list and recalled right-hander Jason Foley from Triple-A Toledo.

It’s been a season of rough results for the 31-year-old Ramirez, who carries a 5.74 ERA through 26 2/3 innings of relief in Detroit. He’s gone through a particularly rough stretch of late, yielding runs in five of his past seven appearances — including a three-run drubbing in two-thirds of an inning at the hands of the Cardinals this week. He’s posted a below-average 18.3 percent strikeout rate this season, although to his credit, Ramirez’s 4.6 percent walk rate is excellent.

The 2020 campaign went much better for Ramirez, who pitched 14 1/3 innings out of the Mets’ bullpen and held opponents to just one run on eight hits and four walks with nine strikeouts. He’s pitched for five big league teams across parts of nine seasons, totaling 681 2/3 frames of 4.37 ERA ball with an 18.4 percent strikeout rate, a strong 6.7 percent walk rate and a solid 44 percent ground-ball rate. He’ll hit outright waivers or release waivers in the coming days, and Ramirez has the service time to reject an outright assignment to Triple-A Toledo if he goes unclaimed on waivers.

Tigers Preparing To Return Jose Urena, Matthew Boyd To Rotation

By | at

The Tigers have designated Ian Krol for assignment in order to make room for Jose Urena, who will come off the injured list tomorrow, per Evan Woodbery of MLive Media Group (via Twitter).

In 12 appearances, Krol has a 5.11 ERA/3.82 FIP covering 12 1/3 innings. Urena has been out since July 17th with a groin strain. The veteran right-hander posted a mostly unimpressive 80 innings of 6.19 ERA baseball through 17 starts. Nevertheless, Urena is scheduled to reclaim his spot in the rotation tomorrow.

Matthew Boyd is also returning to the Tigers this weekend to start Sunday’s game. Another roster move will be required to bring him onto the roster. Boyd hasn’t pitched since June 15th, but he’s a big piece of their rotation moving into next season.

Tigers Release Renato Nunez

By | at

  • The Tigers released Renato Nunez, per Evan Woodbery of the MLive Media Group (via Twitter). Manager A.J. Hinch suggested that there weren’t enough at-bats to go around in Triple-A for Spencer Torkelson, Aderlin Rodriguez, and Nunez. The Tigers outrighted Nunez a few days ago, and he will now be free to sign anywhere.

Tigers Outright Drew Hutchison

By | at

AUGUST 26: Hutchison has cleared waivers and been sent outright to Triple-A Toledo, per the team. As a player who has previously been outrighted in his career, he has the right to elect free agency.

AUGUST 23: The Tigers have reinstated outfielder Akil Baddoo from the 10-day injured list.  The team also announced that right-hander Drew Hutchison was designated for assignment, opening up space for Baddoo to rejoin the active roster.

Baddoo hasn’t played since August 10 due to a concussion, as he was first placed on the seven-day concussion IL and was then moved to the normal 10-day IL so he could get a few rehab games under his belt.  Just a week removed from his 23rd birthday, Baddoo returns to continue what has already been an impressive rookie season.  Originally a second-round pick for the Twins in the 2016 draft, the Tigers selected Baddoo in last December’s Rule 5 Draft, putting Baddoo in line to jump from high-A ball in 2019 right to the majors.

The outfielder has wholly embraced the opportunity, hitting .267/.333/.467 with 10 homers and a league-high six triples over 333 plate appearances.  Baddoo’s excellent speed has resulted in a .345 BABIP and helped him overcome a lot of soft contact numbers, though he is still a work in progress (-5 Defensive Runs Saved, -4.6 UZR/150) as an outfielder, mostly splitting time between left and center field.  Since Baddoo will surely finish the season on the active roster, the Tigers will officially acquire his rights from Minnesota, giving Detroit another intriguing young building block going forward.

Hutchison signed a minor league deal with the Tigers in the offseason and made two appearances after his contract was selected last week.  The righty (who just turned 31 yesterday) posted a 3.00 ERA over two abbreviated starts, tossing six innings and recording four walks against only two strikeouts.

Apart from 42 2/3 innings with the Phillies and Rangers in 2018, Hutchison hadn’t pitched in the big leagues since 2016.  A veteran of six MLB seasons overall, Hutchison could get a look from another team seeking pitching depth on the waiver wire, or the Tigers could outright him to Triple-A for their own depth purposes if he clears waivers.

Miguel Cabrera: Planning To Play “Two More Years”

By | at

Miguel Cabrera recently hit his 500th home run, a marquee achievement for one of the most accomplished players in MLB history. Asked by Sage Steele of ESPN this morning how long he planned to continue his illustrious career, Cabrera said he expects to conclude after the 2023 season (h/t to Chris McCosky of the Detroit News).

“Two years, that’s it,” Cabrera told Steele. “My right knee is really bad. I need to take care of this in the offseason and prepare myself for next season. I’m going to play two more years. I think that’s enough. I will be happy with 20 years in the big leagues if I can make it. I would say thank God for the opportunity and I say two more years and I’m done.”

While it’s not surprising to hear Cabrera is planning to retire two years from now, today’s comments were notably more conclusive than when he addressed the subject last September. At that time, Cabrera left open the possibility of playing beyond 2023. Obviously, improved health or performance over the next couple seasons could change the calculus, but Cabrera’s comments this morning mark the 38-year-old’s most definitive declaration to date of his long-term plans.

It’s no coincidence that the guaranteed portion of Cabrera’s March 2014 contract extension concludes at the end of that 2023 season. Cabrera will make successive $32MM salaries in 2022 and 2023, in addition to an $8MM buyout of a $30MM vesting option for the 2024 campaign. (Cabrera’s option would only vest if he finished in the top ten of MVP award voting in 2023, which is obviously extremely unlikely).

Still, it wasn’t out of the question Cabrera could’ve looked for another opportunity in free agency over the 2023-24 offseason. Instead, it seems he’s content to wrap things up once his time with the Tigers comes to an end. In addition to reaching 500 home runs, Cabrera should record his 3000th hit at some point over the next calendar year (he’s at 2958 currently). As he mentioned, Cabrera will also reach twenty years of MLB service time in 2023, assuming the Tigers keep him on the roster through the end of his deal. Reaching those milestones over the coming seasons will symbolically cement his status as one of the greatest hitters of all time.

Tigers Outright Renato Nunez

By | at

Aug. 23: Nunez went unclaimed on waivers and has been assigned outright to Triple-A Toledo, the team announced. While Nunez had the option of declining the assignment in favor of free agency, MLB.com’s Jason Beck tweets that Nunez will instead remain with the organization and head to Toledo.

Aug. 21: The Tigers have reinstated Derek Hill from the 10-day injured list. To make room on the roster, Renato Nunez was designated for assignment, per the team.

Nunez joined the Tigers after being released by the Orioles in November. He’s spent most of the season in Triple-A, where he slashed .291/.383/.585 in 311 plate appearances. Despite that impressive showing, the success hasn’t translated to the bigs. Nunez has appeared in 14 games, amassing 55 plate appearances and slashing .189/.218/.472. Nunez is likely to accept an assignment back to Triple-A, as he’s done earlier this season.

Hill was out the minimum amount of time with a ribcage contusion. He missed some time earlier this season with a shoulder sprain. The 25-year-old rookie outfielder owns a .250/.345/.316 triple slash line through 87 plate appearances this year. He’ll return to the mix in centerfield, along with Daz Cameron and Victor Reyes.

Tigers Acquire Dustin Garneau From Rockies

By | at

The Tigers announced they’ve acquired catcher Dustin Garneau from the Rockies in exchange for cash considerations. Garneau was on a minor league deal and hasn’t played in the majors this season, which is why he was eligible to be traded even after the July 30 deadline. That’s about to change, however, as Detroit immediately selected Garneau to the big leagues, optioning outfielder Jacob Robson to Triple-A Toledo in a corresponding move. To clear space on the 40-man roster, Detroit transferred catcher Jake Rogers from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list.

Garneau signed a minor league deal with Detroit over the offseason. He missed a good bit of the season due to a wrist fracture and exercised an opt-out in his minor league deal last month after just 60 plate appearances with Toledo. The 34-year-old hooked on with the Rockies — his first big league organization — on a minor league deal in late July.

Assigned to their top affiliate in Albuquerque, Garneau has gone on to hit .229/.357/.400. That’s not overwhelming production, but the Tigers are obviously familiar with Garneau from his earlier stint in the organization. With teams’ options to acquire players rather limited, it’s understandable Detroit circled back to a respected veteran backstop who has some Spring Training and Triple-A experience working with members of their pitching staff. The cash was likely a nominal consideration for the Rockies, but there’s little harm for Colorado in allowing Garneau to get a big league opportunity elsewhere if they weren’t prepared to offer him one themselves.

Tigers starting catcher Eric Haase is unavailable this evening after leaving last night’s game with low back tightness. That left Grayson Greiner as the only viable defensive catcher on the roster, so the Tigers acted quickly to bring in Garneau for depth.

Rogers was part of that catching group earlier this season, but he hasn’t played since landing on the injured list on July 17 with a pronator strain in his right arm. Today’s IL transfer rules him out for sixty days from the date of his original placement, so he can’t return to the big leagues until mid-September at the earliest.

Tigers Release Buck Farmer

By | at

The Tigers announced they’ve placed right-hander Buck Farmer on unconditional release waivers. Upon clearing the waiver wire, he’ll become a free agent. Farmer was designated for assignment over the weekend.

The move brings to an end Farmer’s eight-year tenure with the Tigers. Selected in the fifth round of the 2013 draft, Farmer pitched his way to the big leagues by the end of the 2014 campaign. He’s spent a good portion of the past seven years in the Detroit bullpen, often working as a multi-inning option for Tigers managers in addition to a brief look in the rotation in 2017.

While Farmer struggled over his first few seasons, he settled in as a decent middle innings option by 2018. Between 2018-20, Farmer pitched to a 3.92 ERA/4.20 FIP over 158 1/3 frames of relief. He’s struggled mightily this season, though, managing just a 6.37 ERA in 35 1/3 innings. Farmer’s walk rate has spiked to an untenable 12.3% and he’s been tagged for nine home runs (2.29 HR/9).

Farmer signed a $1.85MM contract to avoid arbitration over the winter. The Tigers will remain on the hook for that salary, with any team that signs Farmer owing him just the prorated portion of the league minimum for any time he spends in the big leagues. Given his decent track record coming into the year, the 30-year-old shouldn’t have trouble latching on elsewhere via minor league deal.

Julio Teheran Shut Down During Live BP Session

By | at

  • Tigers right-hander Julio Teheran was throwing with low velocity while tossing a live batting practice session, and was shut down.  As Tigers manager A.J. Hinch told reporters (including Evan Petzold of The Detroit Free Press), Teheran “hasn’t been able to generate the arm speed that’s going to be needed for him to step into a rehab assignment.”  The veteran righty made just one start for Detroit before a shoulder strain put him on the 60-day IL back in April, so multiple rehab starts will be necessary for Teheran to ramp back up.  Since it is already mid-August, however, “we’re running out of time,” Hinch said.  “We’re going to have to determine what’s the next step for him if he’s going to make any part of the rest of the season.”
Show all

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

hide arrows scroll to top