Tigers Rumors

Minor MLB Transactions: 6/25/23

By Mark Polishuk | June 25, 2023 at 2:32pm CDT

Catching up on some minor moves from around baseball…

The Tigers outrighted Braden Bristo to Triple-A after the right-hander cleared waivers. Bristo was designated for assignment last weekend and can’t yet reject an outright assignment, even though this is the second time Bristo has been DFA’ed this season. The Tigers claimed Bristo off waivers from the Rays at the start of May, and the righty has a 2.57 ERA over seven total innings of work with Detroit and Tampa Bay. This marks the 28-year-old’s first bit of Major League action, after seven minor league seasons spent mostly in the Yankees farm system.

AL Central Notes: Anderson, Buxton, E-Rod, Manning

By Mark Polishuk | June 25, 2023 at 10:39am CDT

Over the first 824 games of his Major League career, Tim Anderson had almost exclusively as a shortstop, with a couple of DH days thrown into the mix. However, Anderson has now made two consecutive starts at second base, as a way of getting the veteran into the White Sox lineup despite some lingering soreness in his right throwing shoulder. Sox manager Pedro Grifol told MLB.com’s Scott Merkin and other reporters that “all intentions are for [Anderson] to go back to shortstop” eventually, and that the club was monitoring Anderson’s shoulder on a day-to-day basis.

Considering Chicago’s 33-45 record, it can’t be ignored that Anderson’s temporary move to the keystone could also serve as a showcase for any interested trade partners. As per most public defensive metrics, Anderson has had subpar glovework as a shortstop over the last two seasons, and a move to second base might eventually be required as Anderson (who turned 30 years old two days ago) gets deeper into his career. A team doubtful of Anderson’s shortstop defense could be more keen on using him as a second baseman, or an ability to shuttle between both positions might also boost the former All-Star’ trade value given how clubs prize versatile players. That said, offense is a bigger concern than defense for Anderson at this point, since he has struggled to a .241/.279/.282 slash line over 229 plate appearances while missing about three weeks on the injured list with a left knee sprain. 2023 is the final guaranteed year of Anderson’s contract, as the White Sox hold a $14MM club option on his services for 2024.

Tigers Sign Johan Camargo To Minor League Deal

By Darragh McDonald | June 23, 2023 at 3:35pm CDT

The Tigers have signed infielder Johan Camargo to a minor league deal, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He’s been assigned to the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens. Conversely, infielder Brendon Davis has been released by the Mud Hens, per his own tracker.

Camargo, 29, signed a minor league deal with the Royals in the winter. He began the season on the injured list in the minors but was able to return to action in mid-May. He went on to hit a torrid .298/.412/.544 through 68 Triple-A plate appearances for a wRC+ of 140. Based on that hot streak, he triggered an opt-out and returned to the open market to see what deals he could find.

He’ll now join a Tigers club that has plenty of uncertainty around the infield. Veterans like Javier Báez, Jonathan Schoop and Andy Ibañez are all having subpar years at the plate and the same goes for younger players like Spencer Torkelson and Nick Maton. The only Tigers with at least 100 plate appearances and a wRC+ above 100 are outfielders Matt Vierling, Kerry Carpenter and Riley Greene, and Greene is currently on the injured list.

Given those struggles, there’s logic to bringing Camargo into the organization and getting a closer look at him. He’s played all four infield positions in his major league career and a bit of the outfield corners as well, generally getting solid grades anywhere he’s placed. His career batting line of .255/.313/.410 only amounts to a wRC+ of 90 but he’s at least coming off a hot stretch lately. If he were to get a roster spot at some point, he’s out of options but could be retained for 2024 via arbitration since he won’t be able to reach six years of service time this year.

As for Davis, 25, he signed a minor league deal with the Tigers this winter but has hit just .178/.288/.363 in Triple-A this year.

Seth Elledge Elects Free Agency

By Darragh McDonald | June 23, 2023 at 1:24pm CDT

The Tigers announced that right-hander Seth Elledge has cleared waivers and elected free agency. He was designated for assignment earlier in the week when the club claimed left-hander Anthony Misiewicz off waivers from the Diamondbacks.

Elledge, 27, has filled up the transaction logs in the past few months. Atlanta added him to their roster in November but then designated him for assignment in April. He then went to the Mets and Tigers on subsequent waivers claims before getting the DFA treatment again a few days ago. Amid all those transactions, he’s managed to throw 28 2/3 Triple-A innings this year with a 5.34 ERA, striking out 21.9% of hitters but walking 13.3%.

The righty has a bit of major league experience, getting into 23 games for the Cardinals over 2020 and 2021. He had a 4.63 ERA in 23 1/3 innings in that time with a strong 24% strikeout rate but 14.4% walk rate. He was outrighted off the Cards’ roster after the 2021 season and signed a minor league deal with Atlanta for 2022. He tossed 46 1/3 Triple-A innings that year with a 3.88 ERA, 33.7% strikeout rate and 8.6% walk rate. That dip in walk rate is perhaps what got him a roster spot from Atlanta less than a year ago but the control problems seem to have returned here in 2023.

Since Elledge had that previous career outright in 2021, he had the right to reject another such assignment. He has now exercised that right and is free to sign with any club. Despite the problems with the free passes, he’s continued to rack up strikeouts and could market that to potential employers. With so many clubs around the league dealing with injuries, he’ll likely be able to find offers for minor league deals.

AL Central Notes: Buxton, Crochet, Tigers

By Darragh McDonald | June 21, 2023 at 2:48pm CDT

Twins outfielder Byron Buxton has dealt with many injuries throughout his career, which has led the Twins to use him exclusively as a designated hitter so far this season. However, it seems that was not simply a choice they made about protecting him from future injuries. “From the beginning of the year, he has not been physically able to play in the outfield,” manager Rocco Baldelli tells Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com. “If he was, he would be out there. If we even thought that it was possible that he could play in the outfield right now, he would be out there.”

Buxton underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in September of last year and seemingly recuperated enough to play but not enough that the Twins want him out on the grass. “Nothing has really gone up or down on that scale since the beginning of the year,” Baldelli said. “It hasn’t gotten closer. It hasn’t gotten further away. It’s basically in a similar spot. He is basically in a similar spot as he was in the beginning.”

Of course, the Twins could have opted to have Buxton start the season on the injured list and then activated him once he was 100% healthy, but it seems they preferred to have his bat in the lineup even without any defensive contributions and with diminished capabilities overall. Buxton’s sprint speed of 29.3 feet per second this year is roughly in line with last year’s 29.1 figure, though he has been steadily declining since hitting 30.9 in his rookie season. That seems to line up with the assessment that his knee hasn’t gotten fully healthy.

It might also be impacting him at the plate, as he’s hitting .209/.313/.428 on the year. That translates to a 106 wRC+, indicating he’s still been above average but below his own typical output. He hit .258/.316/.558 from 2019 to 2022 for a 136 wRC+. His .259 batting average on balls in play might point to some bad luck but his hard hit rate and average exit velocity are also down from last year. He’s also been struggling more of late, slashing just .149/.273/.266 since May 5. All hitters go through slumps, of course, but whether or not the knee is hampering him will be an interesting situation for the Twins to monitor as the season progresses.

Some more notes from the AL Central…

The White Sox put left-hander Garrett Crochet on the injured list yesterday, retroactive to June 17, due to left shoulder inflammation. Right-hander Jimmy Lambert was reinstated from his own IL stint in a corresponding move. Crochet was drafted in 2020 and was quickly launched into the majors just a few months later. He’s since been able to post quality results out of the bullpen with a 2.69 ERA thus far, though injuries have also been an issue. He went on the IL in 2021 due to a back strain and then had his 2022 wiped out by Tommy John surgery. He returned this year but is now back on the IL after 10 outings. There hasn’t been anything to suggest this current injury is especially concerning but it’s yet another roadblock to him building up his workload. He has expressed a desire to return to starting pitching someday but has only been able to log 70 1/3 major league innings in his career thus far.
The Tigers have faced a number of challenges in their rotation this year, which each of Eduardo Rodriguez, Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal, Matt Manning, Spencer Turnbull, Alex Faedo and Beau Brieske currently on the injured list. Given all of those absences, it’s hardly surprising that the club’s starters have a collective 4.91 ERA that places them 25th out of the 30 clubs in the league. Things could be on the verge of improving, however, with most of that group nearing returns. Chris McCosky of The Detroit News takes a look at the different hurlers and their rehabs, with Skubal and Manning seemingly the closest since they are already on rehab assignments at the Triple-A level. The Tigers are just 32-41 coming into today’s action but are only 3.5 games off the lead in the weak division. Getting some young starters back in the mix would surely help them stay afloat in that wide open competition. Manning had a 3.43 ERA last year but has been limited to just two outings so far this year due to a fractured fifth metatarsal in his right foot. Skubal had a 3.52 ERA last year but has been out of action since undergoing flexor tendon surgery in August.

Tigers Acquire Blair Calvo

By Nick Deeds | June 18, 2023 at 4:53pm CDT

The Rockies and Tigers swung a minor trade this afternoon as Detroit acquired the services of right-hander Blair Calvo in exchange for cash considerations. Calvo had been designated for assignment by the Rockies earlier this week to make room for catcher Jorge Alfaro on the 40-man roster. To make room for Calvo on their own 40-man, the Tigers announced they have designated righty Braden Bristo for assignment. Calvo has be optioned to Triple-A.

Calvo made his MLB debut for the Rockies earlier this season, recording a single scoreless outing during his lone major league appearance. That outing stands in sharp contrast to what has been a brutal 2023 campaign for Calvo at the Triple-A level. In 23 innings of work for Colorado’s Triple-A affiliate in Albuquerque, the righty has been shelled to the tune of a 7.43 ERA, though a .413 BABIP and a strand rate of just 55.3% both indicate Calvo has pitched better than his disastrous results would indicate.

Going forward, Calvo figures to act as optionable bullpen depth for the Tigers, whose relievers sport a roughly middle-of-the-pack ERA of 3.85 despite covering the third most innings in the AL with 273 1/3 innings worked. As the Tigers gear up for the second half of the season, relief depth provided by hurlers like Calvo could allow Detroit to keep their relief corps fresh.

As for Bristo, the 28-year-old righty made his major league debut this season as well. To this point, he’s made three appearances in the majors during his time with the Rays and Tigers, each of which lasted multiple innings. In seven career innings of work, Bristo has posted a 2.57 ERA and 3.55 FIP with five strikeouts against four walks. Should he clear waivers, the Tigers will have the opportunity to outright him to the minor leagues, where he would continue to serve as multi-inning bullpen depth without requiring a 40-man roster spot.

Tigers Claim Anthony Misiewicz, Designate Seth Elledge

By Mark Polishuk | June 18, 2023 at 1:57pm CDT

The Tigers announced that left-hander Anthony Misiewicz has been claimed off waivers from the Diamondbacks, and optioned to Triple-A. In the corresponding move, Detroit designated right-hander Seth Elledge for assignment.

Misiewicz spent a few weeks on the injured list with a calf strain and was also shuttled up and down from Triple-A Reno several times, so it perhaps isn’t surprising that the southpaw struggled to a 5.63 ERA over eight innings and seven appearances with the D’Backs. With the waiver claim, Misiewicz might now get some stability close to home — he was born in Detroit and played his college ball at Michigan State.

Pitching with the Diamondbacks, Royals, and Mariners over his four MLB seasons, Misiewicz has a 4.51 ERA over 111 2/3 career innings. He isn’t a big strikeout pitcher (23.3 K%), and this difficult in missing bats has translated to some issues for the lefty, particularly since Misiewicz has a .332 career BABIP.

Elledge was claimed off waivers from the Mets last month, but his time in the Tigers organization has been spent entirely at Triple-A Toledo. He posted a respectable 3.86 ERA over 14 innings in Toledo but it looks like the Tigers saw him as an expendable 40-man piece. Another team might make a claim on Elledge, but if not, he’d have the right to reject an outright assignment off Detroit’s 40-man since he has already been outrighted in his career.

Trevor Rosenthal To Undergo Elbow Surgery

By Steve Adams | June 14, 2023 at 11:03am CDT

Veteran right-hander Trevor Rosenthal is slated undergo elbow surgery next week, the Tigers announced within their latest wave of injury updates on minor league players. The former All-Star has been attempting a comeback with the Tigers, but he’s now headed for a revision on a prior Tommy John procedure. Detroit also announced that infielder Ryan Kreidler underwent core muscle surgery and that lefty Miguel Del Pozo had Tommy John surgery.

Rosenthal, 33, hasn’t pitched in the Majors since the 2020 season and has just 39 big league frames under his belt since the conclusion of the 2017 season. Injuries have derailed the career of the former Cardinals closer, who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2017 and thoracic outlet surgery in 2021. Rosenthal also had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his hip during the 2021 season.

A healthy Rosenthal has proven himself capable of being one of the sport’s top relievers. From 2012-15, he boasted a 2.66 ERA and 30.4% strikeout rate, twice reaching 45 saves in a season along the way. His 2019 return from that 2017 Tommy John procedure was a disaster, but Rosenthal pitched 23 2/3 innings of 1.90 ERA ball while punching out 41.8% of his opponents during the shortened 2020 season. This will now be Rosenthal’s third surgery of note since his last big league pitch, however. He pitched in just three minor league games with the Tigers this year before landing on the injured list.

Kreidler, 25, has appeared in 37 games for the Tigers dating back to 2022 but has just a .165/.220/.209 slash in 102 big league plate appearances. He’s slashed .253/.374/.466 with 18 home runs and 22 steals through 446 plate appearances at the Triple-A level in his career, however, and is regarded as an above-average defender who can handle multiple spots around the infield (third base, shortstop and second base). He’s currently in physical therapy following the surgery. A timetable for his return wasn’t provided.

The 30-year-old Del Pozo returned to the Tigers on a minor league deal this offseason. He’d previously pitched 5 1/3 frames as a Tiger back in 2021 and also spent the 2022 season in their Triple-A bullpen, pitching to a 3.88 ERA in 53 1/3 frames. Del Pozo, who’s allowed 20 runs in 18 1/3 big league innings but has a more palatable 4.23 ERA in four Triple-A campaigns, appeared in just six games this season before landing on the injured list. The timing of this surgery will shelve him until late in the 2024 season and potentially all the way into the 2025 season.

Tigers Promote Brendan White

By Darragh McDonald | June 13, 2023 at 2:43pm CDT

The Tigers announced that right-hander Brendan White has been recalled to the active roster, with fellow righty Garrett Hill optioned out in a corresponding move. White was already on the 40-man roster but will be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game.

White, 24, was a 26th round selection of the Tigers in 2019. He made some Rookie ball appearances that year but then the minor leagues were canceled by the pandemic in 2020. He has since jumped up the minor league ladder one rung per year. He spent 2021 in High-A, tossing 101 1/3 innings over 18 starts and eight relief appearances with a 4.17 ERA. He moved up to Double-A last year and was also moved to the bullpen on a permanent basis. He tossed 67 1/3 innings over 48 appearances last year with a 2.67 ERA, 27.1% strikeout rate, 6.3% walk rate and 56% ground ball rate.

Since that move to full-time relief work seemed to suit him so well, the Tigers added him to their 40-man roster in November to prevent him from being selected in the Rule 5 draft. He has spent all of this year in Triple-A so far, logging 32 frames over 25 appearances. His ERA has jumped to 4.78 but that seems to be inflated by a .466 batting average on balls in play. His 29.3% strikeout rate, 6.8% walk rate and 52.2% ground ball rate are all similar to last year’s numbers and each one is better than average.

White will now get a chance to jump to the major leagues and join a beleaguered Detroit bullpen. The club used seven pitchers on Sunday’s game, using Will Vest as an opener in front of bulk guy Joey Wentz before five different relievers were later deployed. Yesterday, the club went with a bullpen game as each of Mason Englert, Hill, and Tyler Alexander tossed at least 2 2/3 innings before Alex Lange closed it out. With that heavy usage, they’ve decided to get a fresh arm by swapping White in for Hill.

Tigers Notes: Baddoo, Vierling, Manning

By Mark Polishuk | June 11, 2023 at 5:30pm CDT

Akil Baddoo left Friday’s game after injuring his right quad while running out a grounder. The quad strain ended up sending Baddoo to the 10-day injured list, as the Tigers placed the outfielder on the IL Saturday, and the newly-acquired Nick Solak was called up from Triple-A.

It isn’t clear how much time Baddoo could miss, since while Tigers manager A.J. Hinch told reporters (including Rainer Sabin of the Detroit Free Press) that Baddoo will be “out for the foreseeable future,” the quad strain is on the “mild side.” It’s at least good news that Baddoo has apparently avoided a higher degree of strain, even if the IL stint is a setback for the 24-year-old outfielder.

A Rule 5 pick in December 2020, Baddoo had a very impressive rookie season and seemed to be a surprise building block for a Tigers club that appeared to be turning a corner in 2021. However, like virtually every other Detroit hitter, Baddoo took a big step backwards in 2022, hitting only .204/.289/.269 over 225 plate appearances. The 2023 campaign has continued this inconsistency for Baddoo, but he has taken a step forward from last year, hitting .231/.341/.343 over 168 PA.

The surprising Zach McKinstry has moved into everyday duty in the Tigers’ outfield, which has been a bit of a revolving door due to injuries. Austin Meadows has been sidelined since April because of anxiety issues, while Riley Greene is facing an extended absence due to a stress reaction in his left fibula. On the plus side, Kerry Carpenter was activated off the IL earlier this week, and Matt Vierling may also soon be returning for Monday’s game with the Braves.

Lower-back soreness sent Vierling to the injured list on May 29, but it looks like he could miss only slightly beyond the minimum 10 days. Vierling has already played two minor league rehab games and was in Detroit today being evaluated by team doctors. Acquired from the Phillies as part of the Gregory Soto trade in January, Vierling has hit .241/.297/.352 over 175 PA while playing mostly in right field, but he has also gotten some work at the other two outfield slots and even at second and third base.

In other injury news, the Tigers announced that Matt Manning will start an injury rehab assignment today at Triple-A Toledo. It was exactly two months ago today that Manning suffered a fracture in his right foot, and he has since been transferred to the 60-day IL (though that roster move doesn’t impact his potential return date). Manning will certainly need at least a couple of rehab starts after missing so much time, but it seems plausible that he can return to Detroit’s rotation before the end of June.

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