Tigers Rumors

Tigers Shut Down Top Prospect Casey Mize

By George Miller | August 21, 2019 at 5:42pm CDT

The Tigers are shutting down former first-overall selection and top pitching prospect Casey Mize, per Jason Beck of MLB.com. While he’s out of commission, he’ll remain with the Double-A Erie Seawolves before reporting to instructional league in mid-September.

As Beck notes, no one injury motivated the Tigers’ decision; rather the organization would prefer to take a cautious approach with its top minor-leaguer, who is playing in just his first professional season. While he did make a stint on the injured list with shoulder inflammation earlier this season, today’s decision is unrelated. Indeed, this looks to be in hopes of preventing injury, rather than reacting to one.

Mize finishes his first full professional season with 109 2/3 innings under his belt between High-A Lakeland and Double-A Erie. After breezing through the low minors and earning himself a promotion to Double-A—where he threw a no-hitter in his first game—Mize has encountered some difficulty of late, possibly as a consequence of a building workload. While the Tigers weren’t restricting their crown jewel to a definitive innings limit, Beck notes that Tigers officials felt that, in recent viewings, Mize wasn’t as sharp as he had been throughout the year, leading them to shut the righty down for the final two weeks of the minor-league season.

Last season, in his draft year, Mize accumulated nearly 130 innings pitched between his time at Auburn University and a partial season in the low minors.

In his first full season as a professional, Mize made 21 starts, going 8-3 with a 2.55 ERA across two levels of the minors. He struck out 106 batters compared to just 23 walks, good for for a 4.6 K:BB ratio.

The 2018 first overall pick is regarded by many to be the top pitching prospect in all of baseball, including MLB Pipeline, which regards Mize as the second-ranked overall prospect. Already a relatively polished product, it seems like a solid bet that Mize could be pitching in Comerica Park at this time next year.

AL Central Notes: Abreu, Duffy, Burrows, Perez

By Mark Polishuk | August 21, 2019 at 1:34pm CDT

As the “Rally Squirrel” becomes the latest hero of the Twins’ season, here are some items from around the AL Central…

There have been multiple indications that a new contract between the White Sox and impending free agent Jose Abreu seems inevitable, and the first baseman gave another today, telling Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times that Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf has all but officially promised a new deal. “Jerry several times has told me and my family that I am not going to wear a jersey other than a White Sox jersey,” Abreu said via a translator. “I believe him. I believe in his word. And like I said, I’m very happy with and loyal to this organization. Hopefully everything is going to pan out.” The veteran slugger is still an above-average bat, though his 109 wRC+ (from a .273/.313/.496 slash line over 536 PA heading into today’s action) represents the lowest mark of Abreu’s six MLB seasons.
Danny Duffy “felt good” after tossing a 65-pitch simulated game on Tuesday, the Royals southpaw told Lynn Worthy of the Kansas City Star and other reporters. Depending on how Duffy feels today, K.C. could activate him from the injured list or potentially get him into another sim game before he returns to the active roster. Since Duffy noted that he only started jogging on Monday and “probably the most I’ve ran was at 80 percent,” he and the team could decide to wait a bit longer before an activation. Duffy’s IL placement retroactively dates back to August 4, as the veteran left-hander is recovering from a left hamstring strain.
Tigers right-hander Beau Burrows is recovering from a left oblique strain and has been shut down for the remainder of the season. As Chris McCosky of the Detroit News writes, the injury concludes what has been a trying season for the pitching prospect, as Burrows also dealt with a shoulder issue at the start of the year and posted a 5.51 ERA over 65 1/3 innings at Triple-A. Like many minor league hurlers this season, Burrows has had trouble keeping the ball in the park, surrendering 12 homers over those 65 1/3 frames. Burrows, the 22nd overall pick of the 2015 draft, received some top-100 prospect attention from Baseball Prospectus and MLB.com prior to the 2018 season, but his stock dropped after only a decent year at Double-A. It all adds up to a tricky offseason decision for the Tigers, who now have to choose whether or not to add Burrows to the 40-man roster in order to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. Detroit has multiple prospects that are Rule 5-eligible and only a certain amount of open space, leading McCosky to wonder if they would still protect Burrows if his future (as some in the organization believe) is ultimately as a relief arm.
Burrows isn’t the only question mark within the Tigers’ crop of young hurlers, as Franklin Perez is still trying to get on track from the shoulder problems that have essentially cost him two seasons, Lynn Henning of the Detroit News writes. Once seen as the centerpiece of the trade package the Tigers received for Justin Verlander two years ago, Perez was a consensus top-100 prospect heading into the 2018 season, and MLB.com still had him 78th on its top 100 list prior to this season. Since the start of the 2018 campaign, however, Perez has tossed just 27 total innings amidst multiple trips to the injured list. Adding to the frustration, Henning writes, is the fact that doctors have been unable to find any underlying structural issue that would explain the pain Perez has felt in game action. Perez doesn’t turn 22 until December, though it remains to be seen when (or even if) he’ll be able to pitch on a consistent basis, let alone effectively enough to get him back on a path to the big leagues.

AL Health Notes: Cole, Indians, A’s, Rays, Tigers

By Connor Byrne | August 13, 2019 at 10:03pm CDT

The Astros made right-handed ace Gerrit Cole a late scratch from his start against the White Sox on Tuesday because of right hamstring discomfort, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic was among those to report. The severity of the injury isn’t known, but it’s worth keeping an eye on considering Cole’s importance to the Astros and his status as the game’s best pending free agent. As of now, the 28-year-old workhorse is on pace for his third consecutive 200-inning season. He has given Houston 156 2/3 frames of 2.87 ERA/3.11 FIP ball with 12.98 K/9 and 2.24 BB/9 in 2019.

Indians righty Carlos Carrasco has been battling leukemia, which has kept him out of action since May 30, but he’s champing at the bit to return, Mandy Bell of MLB.com explains. Carrasco, who fielded grounders off the mound at Progressive Field on Tuesday, is hoping to throw to hitters Friday. Manager Terry Francona wasn’t prepared to state whether that’ll happen, saying: “That’s still to be determined. I mean, the idea that he wants to, I think is terrific. But there’s got to be some sign-off from the medical people. But the fact he feels he’s ready to do that is tremendous.” Meanwhile, fellow key righty Corey Kluber was effective over four innings during a rehab start at the Double-A level Tuesday, Bell tweets. Afterward, Kluber called it “the last big step” in his rehab (via SportsTime Ohio). The two-time Cy Young winner has been out since fracturing his right forearm May 1, but the Indians have nonetheless gone 72-47. With a half-game lead in the AL Central, they have the inside track on a fourth straight division title.
Athletics southpaw Sean Manaea enjoyed an encouraging rehab start with Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday, Ron Kroichick of the San Francisco Chronicle details. Manaea, out since last September after undergoing shoulder surgery, fired 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball and totaled 10 strikeouts. He and fellow rehabbing lefty Jesus Luzardo seem that much closer to giving playoff-contending Oakland a couple much-needed pitching reinforcements. Luzardo, also out all season (because of shoulder and lat troubles), will start for Las Vegas on Thursday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com tweets.
Rays infielders Brandon Lowe and Joey Wendle are moving toward rehab assignments, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. Lowe went to the IL on July 4 with a right shin contusion, while Wendle has been down since the end of last month with a wrist issue. The 25-year-old Lowe had been a serious candidate for the AL’s top rookie honors prior to his injury, as he slashed .276/.339/.523 with 16 home runs and 2.5 fWAR in 307 plate appearances.
Tigers lefty Blaine Hardy has undergone a season-ending platelet-rich plasma injection, Chris McCosky of the Detroit News reports. Hardy amassed 44 1/3 innings out of the Tigers’ bullpen this season and recorded a 4.47 ERA/5.72 FIP with 5.89 K/9, 2.64 BB/9 and a 48.5 percent groundball rate.

Minor MLB Transactions: 8/13/19

By Connor Byrne | August 13, 2019 at 9:11pm CDT

The latest minor moves from around baseball…

The Pirates have reinstated right-hander Rookie Davis from the 60-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A Indianapolis, the team announced. Davis had been out since early June with hand and forearm injuries. The 26-year-old has given up eight earned runs on 12 hits and eight walks (with 10 strikeouts) in 10 2/3 major league innings this season.
The Athletics have released righty Jake Buchanan, according to Kegan Lowe of Baseball America. The 29-year-old, who joined the Athletics on a minors pact last winter, struggled to a 6.16 ERA with 6.4 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 99 1/3 innings with their Triple-A affiliate this season. The former Astro, Cub and Red last appeared in the majors in 2017.
More from Lowe, who reports the Mets recently released southpaw P.J. Conlon. The Belfast-born Conlon had been with the Mets since they used a 13th-round pick on him in 2015. Conlon, 25, threw 7 2/3 innings with the Mets in 2018 but spent far more time in Triple-A ball, where he put up a 6.71 ERA with 6.6 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 across 122 frames in the Mets organization.
The Tigers announced that they’ve re-signed righty Sandy Baez to a minor league contract. The club released the 25-year-old last Friday. He has recorded a 5.59 ERA with 7.8 K/9 against 4.2 BB/9 over 116 innings with the Tigers’ Double-A team.
The Royals have signed righty Nick Howard to a minors contract, per Roster Roundup. Howard, the 19th overall pick of the Reds in 2014, hasn’t gotten past Double-A ball yet. The 26-year-old owns a 4.22 ERA with 5.9 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 in 21 1/3 innings at that level.

AL Central Notes: Soler, Tigers, Ross, Twins

By Connor Byrne | August 12, 2019 at 8:56am CDT

Seven years after leaving Cuba for a $30MM guarantee with the Cubs, former star prospect Jorge Soler is enjoying his best major league season yet. Now a member of the Royals, Soler has smashed seven home runs in nine games this month, giving him 35 on the season. Soler, the owner of an overall .259/.344/.555 line in 498 plate appearances, spoke about his 2019 success Sunday, saying (via Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com): “The only thing I have thought about was I was traded for a big-time pitcher and I wanted to live up to those expectations. I didn’t do it at the beginning. But I want to thank the organization for believing in me, for trading for me with and giving up that caliber of a player [in Davis]. There’s a weight off my shoulders now because I’ve finally lived up to those expectations.”

Then-standout closer Wade Davis was the “big-time pitcher” the Royals traded to the Cubs for Soler in a December 2016 swap. Soler then endured a miserable first year with the Royals, who kept him in the minors most of the season, but has logged quality offensive production since. Consequently, as Flanagan notes, the 27-year-old is sure to opt into arbitration after the season. Doing so will enable Soler to collect a raise over the $4MM salary he’s currently slated to earn in 2020. That’ll be the ninth and final season of his contract.

JaCoby Jones Suffers Season-Threatening Wrist Fracture

By Dylan A. Chase | August 11, 2019 at 9:21am CDT

Sunday: The Tigers have announced Jones’ IL placement and Rodriguez’s call-up.

Saturday: A CT scan has revealed a fracture in the left wrist of Tigers outfielder JaCoby Jones, per MLive’s Evan Woodberry (link). The Athletic’s Cody Stavenhagen adds that Manager Ron Gardenhire believes Jones will need about six weeks to recover, which makes a 2019 return doubtful (link). According to Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press, the outfielder has been officially placed on the 10-day injured list (link). The team will recall Ronny Rodriguez from Triple-A Toledo to supplant Jones’ on the active roster (link).

Jones left Thursday night’s contest with the Royals after being struck on his wrist by a 95-mph fastball from KC starter Jorge Lopez. Initially, it was believed that Jones had only suffered a bruise, but imaging has apparently revealed a much more significant injury.

After a 1.2 WAR showing in 129 games with Detroit last year, 2019 marked Jones’ second opportunity at consistent big league playing time. Results have been mixed for the LSU product. Though he has shown improvement at the plate (92 wRC+ in 2019 vs. 70 wRC+ in 2018), defensive metrics have been somewhat unpleasantly surprised by his play on 2019 grass (-12.9 UZR in 2019, per Fangraphs).

Rodriguez will rejoin the team for whom he has provided 382 at-bats over the last two seasons. The 27-year-old infielder has logged a .218/.251/.387 batting line since debuting with Detroit in 2018, with appearances at every infield position except catcher.

Trevor Rosenthal Clears Waivers, Elects Free Agency

By Ty Bradley | August 10, 2019 at 1:54pm CDT

Reliever Trevor Rosenthal, designated for assignment Wednesday by the Tigers, has cleared waivers and elected free agency, the club reports.

Rosenthal began his disastrous 2019 campaign in Washington after signing a one-year deal that guaranteed him $7MM. The longtime St. Louis relief ace, who’d seen his command yo-yo between shaky and adequate in his six-year Cardinal tenure, suddenly couldn’t find the plate at all in his first appearances after a return from Tommy John. The 29-year-old walked a frightening 15 men in just 12 appearances (6 1/3 IP) for the club, many of which were cut short before even an out was recorded.

Another free-market go-round ended swiftly in late June when the righty agreed to a minor league pact with Detroit. Despite six hardly propitious outings at Triple-A Toledo, the Tigers added Rosenthal to their post all-star bullpen in hopes of a rebound. His first few outings were promising – Rosenthal walked just three and set down five in four one-inning appearances – but the wild hairs regrew as the weeks passed: the 2015 All-Star walked multiple batters in four different outings for the Tigers before his dismissal on Wednesday.

Rosenthal’s 98.0 MPH average fastball velocity is actually the second-highest of his career, though his bat-missing ways have mostly been teased out, at least compared to the sky-high rates of years bygone. There may still be a team or two out there who believes it can fix the righty this season, though perhaps it’s in the best interest of all involved to delay such a project ’til the outset of the 2020 campaign.

Tigers Release Josh Harrison, Sandy Baez

By Connor Byrne | August 9, 2019 at 11:21am CDT

The Tigers have granted unconditional releases to infielder Josh Harrison and right-hander Sandy Baez, per a team announcement. The club also made the previously reported promotion of righty Edwin Jackson official.

This marks the end of a tough Tigers tenure for Harrison, a former Pirate who joined Detroit on a $2MM guarantee in free agency last winter. Harrison, who underwent surgery on a partially torn hamstring in June, hasn’t played since May 27. The 32-year-old was a capable hitter for most of his Pirates stint, but he only managed a .176/.219/.265 line with one home run in 146 plate appearances as a Tiger.

Baez, 25, was once a promising prospect. He topped out as Baseball America’s 13th-ranked Tigers farmhand after the 2016 season. He threw 15 1/3 innings with the Tigers from 2018-19, but only one of those frames came this year – a season in which he has dealt with injuries. Baez debuted at the Triple-A level this year and posted a 7.36 ERA with 7.36 K/9 and 5.73 BB/9 in 22 innings.

Tigers Select Edwin Jackson

By Connor Byrne | August 8, 2019 at 10:10pm CDT

10:10pm: The Tigers have promoted Jackson and optioned lefty Blaine Hardy, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic tweets. They’ll still need to make a corresponding 40-man move to create a spot for Jackson.

9:15pm: The Tigers will select right-hander Edwin Jackson’s contract from Triple-A Toledo on Friday, Mud Hens manager Doug Mientkiewicz told Brian Buckey of the Toledo Blade. Jackson’s likely to start the Tigers’ game against the Royals, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com suggests.

The nomadic Jackson’s in line for his second major league stint with the Tigers, who signed him to a minors deal on July 22. He previously pitched for the Tigers in 2009. They’re one of a record 14 MLB teams the soon-to-be 36-year-old Jackson has suited up for since his career began with the Dodgers in 2003.

The year Jackson had with the Tigers a decade ago ranks as one of his most effective, as he pitched to a 3.62 ERA over 214 innings. The up-and-down Jackson remained a solid starter as recently as last year in Oakland, which he unexpectedly help pitch to the postseason with a 3.33 ERA across 92 frames after inking a minors pact. Despite that showing, though, Jackson was again unable to score a guaranteed contract last offseason. He ultimately went without a deal until rejoining the Athletics on a minors accord in mid-April, though he never made it back to the majors with the club.

After a short run as a member of the Athletics’ Triple-A team to open the season, they traded Jackson to the Blue Jays for cash considerations in early May. Jackson returned to the majors in Toronto, but he ended up posting horrific numbers – an 11.12 ERA/8.97 FIP in 28 1/3 innings – before the Jays cut the cord on him three weeks ago. He’ll now get to slot back into the rotation of another rebuilding team, Detroit, whose starting staff hasn’t received much production from anyone but Matthew Boyd, Spencer Turnbull and Daniel Norris.

Tigers Select John Schreiber

By Steve Adams | August 8, 2019 at 11:46am CDT

The Tigers announced Thursday that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander John Schreiber from Triple-A Toledo. He’ll step into the vacancy that was created when Detroit designated veteran reliever Trevor Rosenthal for assignment yesterday.

Schreiber, 25, is a Michigan native whom the Tigers selected in the 15th round back in 2016. He hasn’t drawn any rankings in the top echelon of an improved Tigers farm system, but he’s enjoyed a strong 2019 campaign all the same. In a combined 54 2/3 innings out of the bullpen between Double-A Erie (seven innings) and Triple-A Toledo (47 2/3 innings), Schreiber owns a 2.80 ERA with averages of 11.7 K/9, 3.8 BB/9 and 0.82 HR/9.

Detroit’s bullpen has been in a state of flux for much of the season, as is to be expected with a rebuilding club. The deadline trade of Shane Greene to the Braves and Rosenthal’s departure only further open the door for auditions over the final two months of the 2019 season.

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