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Dodgers Designate Ryan Fitzgerald For Assignment

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The Dodgers announced that they have designated infielder/outfielder Ryan Fitzgerald for assignment. That’s the corresponding 40-man move to make their signing of infielder Andy Ibáñez official.

Fitzgerald, 32, has never played for the Dodgers. He was just claimed off waivers from the Twins last week. After years of grinding his way through indy ball and the minor leagues, Minnesota gave him a chance to make his major league debut last year. He stepped to the plate 53 times in 24 games, producing a .196/.302/.457 batting line. He played all four infield spots and flashed 79th percentile sprint speed. He also stepped to the plate 245 times in Triple-A and slashed .277/.367/.469 at that level.

That was enough for the Dodgers to grab him while they had an open roster spot but they have now bumped him off. It’s possible that this was by design. Fitzgerald has less than three years of big league service time and doesn’t have a previous career outright, meaning he wouldn’t have the right to elect free agency if he were passed through waivers unclaimed.

Now that he has been designated for assignment, the Dodgers will have to either trade him or put him back on the waiver wire in the next five days. Given his defensive versatility and solid year with the bat, it’s possible he draws interest from a club in need of some extra depth. If not, the Dodgers will keep him as non-roster depth.

Photo courtesy of Jesse Johnson, Imagn Images

Dodgers Sign Andy Ibáñez

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Jan. 13: The deal is now official. Ryan Fitzgerald has been designated for assignment as the corresponding move.

Jan. 10: Ibáñez’s deal is for $1.2MM, according to Romero. He can also earn up to $100k in performance bonuses.

Jan. 9: The Dodgers have signed infielder Andy Ibáñez to a major league deal, reports Francys Romero of BeisbolFR. The salary has not yet been reported. The Dodgers have a full 40-man roster and will need to make a corresponding move to make this deal official. Ibáñez is represented by The Movement Baseball.

Ibáñez, 33 in April, was just non-tendered by the Tigers in November. He had spent three years with Detroit in a utility role. He got into 304 games over that span, stepping to the plate 820 times. He produced a combined batting line of .251/.304/.392, which translated to a wRC+ of 93. While that offense was a bit below average, Ibáñez provided a lot of defensive versatility. He played all four infield spots as well as the outfield corners.

That wasn’t enough to keep him in Detroit for 2026. He exhausted his final option year in 2025, meaning he will be out of options going forward. He had qualified for arbitration a year ago as a Super Two player. The Tigers paid him $1.4MM in 2025. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected him for a raise to $1.8MM this year but Detroit didn’t tender him a contract, sending him to free agency instead.

The Dodgers have a relatively older infield group. Shortstop Mookie Betts is 33 years old and was a full-time outfielder not long ago. 36-year-old Freddie Freeman is at first base and 35-year-old Max Muncy is at the other corner. Getting a semi rest day in the designated hitter slot isn’t really an option thanks to the presence of Shohei Ohtani.

Second base is a bit more fluid. Tommy Edman, Hyeseong Kim, Miguel Rojas and Alex Freeland are options for that spot. Rojas will be turning 37 years old soon. Edman isn’t quite as old, turning 31 in May, but is coming off ankle surgery. Kim can play other positions around the diamond. Freeland is a notable prospect for the club and still optionable, so perhaps it makes sense for him to be getting regular playing time in Triple-A if he doesn’t have an everyday job in the majors.

Ibáñez will give the club another multi-positional guy on the bench who can bounce around as needed, depending on who else is healthy and producing. If he has a good season with the Dodgers, he can be retained beyond 2026 via arbitration. Rojas has already said that he will retire after this year, so that’ll be one less guy in the mix for 2027 and beyond. Muncy is also slated for free agency a season from now but the Dodgers will presumably come up with some plan for third base in the next year, whether that’s bringing back Muncy or some alternative.

Photo courtesy of Rick Osentoski, Imagn Images

American League Non-Tenders: 11/21/25

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Every American League team has officially announced their non-tender decisions. It was a quiet evening in terms of subtractions, with only the Rangers parting with any marquee players. All players who were non-tendered are free agents without going on waivers. A few teams dropped pre-arbitration players from the back of the 40-man roster. It’s possible they preferred not to expose them to waivers and are hopeful of re-signing them to non-roster deals.

Here’s a full list of today’s activity in the AL, while the National League moves are available here. All projected salaries are courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz.

  • The Angels announced they’ve non-tendered outfielder Gustavo Campero and catcher Sebastian Rivero. Campero is a depth outfielder who has hit .202/.272/.346 over the past two seasons. Rivero operated as the club’s third catcher for most of the season but spent the final few weeks on the active roster. Neither player had been eligible for arbitration. All their arb-eligible players were easy calls to retain.
  • The Astros technically made one non-tender, dropping infielder Ramón Urías after he was designated for assignment earlier in the week. He’d been projected at $4.4MM.
  • The Athletics officially non-tendered outfielder JJ Bleday, the club announced. He’d been designated for assignment on Tuesday, so this was inevitable unless they found a trade partner. Bleday had been projected at $2.2MM.
  • The only non-tenders for the Red Sox were first baseman Nathaniel Lowe and reliever Josh Winckowski, each of whom had been designated for assignment on Tuesday. Lowe was projected at $13.5MM, while Winckowski was at $800K.
  • The Guardians non-tendered outfielder Will Brennan and relievers Sam Hentges and Nic Enright. The latter had been designated for assignment on Tuesday. Hentges hasn’t pitched since undergoing shoulder surgery in September 2024. He underwent a right knee procedure a few months ago and will be delayed this offseason. Brennan only appeared in six MLB games this year and underwent Tommy John surgery while in the minors in June. He’d been projected at $900K.
  • The Mariners non-tendered reliever Gregory Santos, reports Francys Romero. He’d only been projected at $800K, narrowly above the MLB minimum, so the move was about dropping him from the 40-man roster. Seattle acquired the 26-year-old righty from the White Sox over the 2023-24 offseason. He has only made 16 MLB appearances with a 5.02 earned run average over the past two years because of lat and knee injuries. Seattle also non-tendered relievers Trent Thornton and Tayler Saucedo (the latter of whom was designated for assignment on Tuesday). Thornton had been projected at $2.5MM and is coming off a 4.68 ERA through 33 appearances. He suffered a season-ending Achilles tear in August.
  • The Orioles non-tendered swingman Albert Suárez, the team announced. Everyone else in their arbitration class was offered a contract, surprisingly including first baseman Ryan Mountcastle (as first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan). Suárez, 36, was a solid depth starter in 2024. He was limited to five MLB appearances this past season by a flexor strain but is not expected to require surgery.
  • The Rangers non-tendered each of Adolis García, Jonah Heim, Josh Sborz and Jacob Webb. MLBTR covered those moves in greater detail.
  • The Rays only non-tendered outfielders Christopher Morel and Jake Fraley, each of whom had been designated for assignment earlier in the week. Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times reported last night that the Rays were open to bringing back Fraley at a lower price than his $3.6MM arbitration projection.
  • The Royals non-tendered outfielder MJ Melendez and reliever Taylor Clarke, per a club announcement. Melendez, who’d been projected at $2.65MM, was an obvious decision. The former top prospect never developed as hoped and is a career .215/.297/.388 hitter over parts of four seasons. Clarke isn’t as big a name but comes as the more surprising cut. He’d been projected at just $1.9MM and is coming off a 3.25 ERA with a 21.4% strikeout rate over 55 1/3 innings out of the bullpen.
  • The Tigers are non-tendering utility player Andy Ibáñez, according to Romero. He’d been projected at $1.8MM. The righty-hitting Ibáñez had been a solid short-side platoon bat for Detroit between 2023-24. His production against southpaws dropped this year (.258/.311/.403), limiting his value. The Tigers optioned the 32-year-old to Triple-A in early June and kept him in the minors until shortly before the trade deadline. Detroit also dropped the six pitchers they’d designated for assignment earlier in the week: Tanner Rainey, Dugan Darnell, Tyler Mattison, Jason Foley, Jack Little and Sean Guenther.
  • The only Twins non-tender was outfielder DaShawn Keirsey Jr., who’d been designated for assignment this morning to make room for the Alex Jackson trade. Everyone in the arbitration class was brought back.
  • The White Sox non-tendered outfielder Mike Tauchman, as first reported by Bruce Levine of 670 The Score. The lefty hitter turned in a solid .263/.356/.400 line in 93 games this past season. Tauchman has gotten on base at plus rates in three straight years but was also non-tendered by the Cubs a year ago. The 34-year-old (35 next month) had been projected for a $3.4MM salary. The Sox also announced they’ve dropped lefty reliever Cam Booser and first baseman Tim Elko. Neither had been eligible for arbitration. The former posted a 5.52 ERA in 39 appearances after being acquired from the Red Sox last winter, while the latter hit .134 in his first 23 MLB games despite a 26-homer season in Triple-A.
  • The Yankees announced five non-tenders. Relievers Mark Leiter Jr., Scott Effross, Jake Cousins and Ian Hamilton were all cut loose, as was pre-arbitration righty Michael Arias. Leiter, who’d been projected at $3MM, never clicked in the Bronx after being acquired at the 2024 deadline. He posted a 4.89 ERA in 70 innings as a Yankee. Hamilton, Effross and Cousins were all projected just above the MLB minimum but are cut to clear roster space. Hamilton was on and off the active roster and posted a 4.28 ERA in 40 big league frames this year. Effross was limited to 11 appearances and has been plagued by various injuries for the past three and a half years, while Cousins is working back from Tommy John surgery. Arias has never pitched in the big leagues and could be brought back on a minor league deal.

The Blue Jays tendered contracts to all unsigned players on the 40-man roster.

Tigers To Place Reese Olson On 60-Day IL With Shoulder Strain

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The Tigers are placing right-hander Reese Olson on the 60-day injured list due to a shoulder strain. Jason Beck of MLB.com was among those to relay the news. That will open up a 40-man roster spot for Chris Paddack, who is reportedly being acquired from the Twins. Beck adds that outfielder Parker Meadows has been placed on the 10-day IL due to a quad strain. Infielder/outfielders Andy Ibáñez and Ryan Kreidler have been recalled to take the active roster spots of Olson and Meadows.

The news on Olson sheds more light on the club’s decision to acquire Paddack. Olson had started against the Blue Jays on Thursday and gone 5 2/3 innings. Per Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic, Olson first felt discomfort on Saturday during a bullpen session.

That meant that, coming into today, the Detroit rotation was down to Tarik Skubal, Casey Mize and Jack Flaherty. They recently called up prospect Troy Melton, but he allowed six earned runs in his first big league start. Keider Montero was recently optioned to the minors.

Paddack isn’t an ace but he’s a strike-throwing veteran who lengthens the overall group. The Tigers also have Alex Cobb, Jackson Jobe, Ty Madden, Jose Urquidy and Sawyer Gipson-Long on the IL. Adding Olson to that pile seemingly prompted them to go out and add Paddack.

What’s still unclear is if Olson will be available for the postseason. Per Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, the door is still open for that, though it depends on how things develop between now and then. Perhaps the Tigers will look to make another rotation addition in the coming days, depending on how things develop with Olson.

There’s also a bit of a position player shuffle today, with Meadows hitting the IL again. He missed the first couple of months of the season due to issues in the musculocutaneous nerve in his right arm. Since coming off the IL, he has hit just .200/.270/.296. Now his frustrating season continues with another injury setback, though it’s unclear how long he’ll be out.

Matt Vierling has also been playing some center field lately and could take over for Meadows, though he’s not having a great season either, currently sporting a .210/.306/.226 line. Javier Báez played some center earlier this year but has retaken the shortstop job more recently. If Báez were to go back out to the grass, Zach McKinstry could move from third to short, with guys like Ibáñez and Kreidler helping to fill in at the hot corner. Kreidler can also play a bit of center. Once Paddack reports to the team, the Tigers will need an active roster spot, so one of Ibáñez or Kreidler will probably be going right back down.

Photo courtesy of Kevin Sousa, Imagn Images

Tigers To Select Jahmai Jones

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The Tigers are going to select the contract of infielder/outfielder Jahmai Jones, reports Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. Infielder Andy Ibáñez has been optioned to Triple-A Toledo as the corresponding active roster move. Petzold suggests that outfielder Akil Baddoo could be designated for assignment to open a 40-man spot, though it’s unclear if that’s pure speculation or not.

Jones, 27, signed a minor league deal with the Tigers in the offseason. He has since been playing for Triple-A Toledo and putting up good numbers, with a .276/.392/.482 line and 139 wRC+. That’s at least partially inflated by a .345 batting average on balls in play but Jones also has six home runs and is drawing walks at a strong 11.7% clip while keeping his strikeouts down to a reasonable 22.4% level.

In addition to that strong work at the plate, Jones has stolen eight bases and bounced around the diamond. He has lined up defensively at all three outfield spots and second base. He hasn’t had any action at the infield corners this year but has done so previously in his career.

That’s a nice performance but the issue with Jones is that he has always performed well in the minors but hasn’t clicked in the majors yet. Dating back to the start of 2021, he has a .263/.382/.453 line and 122 wRC+ on the farm. In the majors, he has a far worse .198/.257/.278 line and 50 wRC+, though he’s only been allowed to make 137 total plate appearances scattered over several seasons dating back to 2020.

It’s possible the Tigers envision a short-side platoon role for Jones, a right-handed hitter. The Detroit outfield has three regular lefties in Riley Greene, Parker Meadows and Kerry Carpenter. They also have other lefties getting playing time, including Colt Keith, Zach McKinstry and Trey Sweeney. Though Jones hasn’t clicked in the majors overall, he has a .304/.360/.565 line against southpaws and has good numbers against them in the minors as well.

Jones is out of options, so he can’t be easily sent back down to the minors if the Tigers want to shake up the roster later. But if he manages to stick, he can be cheaply controlled for years to come as he doesn’t yet have enough service time to qualify for arbitration and won’t be able to get there by the end of this season.

Jones getting a roster spot will cost Ibáñez his. Ibáñez was claimed off waivers from the Rangers going into 2023 and has been a fixture of the Tigers since, but with diminishing production. He hit .264/.312/.433 for a 104 wRC+ in 2023, followed by .241/.295/.357 and an 87 wRC+ last year. So far in 2025, he’s down to .213/.292/.319 and a 77 wRC+. He’ll try to get back on track in Toledo. Once he spends 20 days on optional assignment, he’ll burn his final option year and will be out of options going into 2025.

Photo courtesy of Junfu Han, Imagn Images

Players Avoiding Arbitration: 11/22/24

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The deadline for teams to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players is tonight at 7pm CT. Throughout the day, we’ll surely see a handful of arb-eligible players agree to terms with their clubs to avoid a hearing.

These so-called “pre-tender deals” usually, although not always, involve players who were borderline non-tender candidates. Rather than run the risk of being cut loose, they can look to sign in the lead-up to the deadline. Those salaries often come in a little below projections, since these players tend to have less leverage because of the uncertainty about whether they’ll be offered a contract at all.

Under the 2022-26 collective bargaining agreement, players who sign to avoid an arbitration hearing are guaranteed full termination pay. That’s a change from prior CBAs, when teams could release an arb-eligible player before the season began and would only owe a prorated portion of the contract. This was done to incentivize teams and players to get deals done without going to a hearing.

All salary projections in this post come via MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz. This post will be updated throughout the day/evening as deals are announced and/or reported.

  • The Mets announced that they have agreed to a one-year contract with right-hander Sean Reid-Foley, though salary figures have not yet been reported. He was projected for a $900K salary next year after posting a 1.66 ERA but in just 21 2/3 innings due to injury.
  • The Rangers announced they avoided arbitration with right-hander Josh Sborz, who was projected for a $1.3MM salary next year. He’ll come in just shy of that at $1.1MM, per Jeff Wilson of Rangers Today (X link). He underwent a shoulder debridement procedure recently, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (X link) and will likely miss the first two or three months of 2025.
  • The Tigers and infielder Andy Ibanez have agreed to a salary of $1.4MM next year, per Francys Romero (X link). That’s a shade below his $1.5MM projection. Ibanez hit .241/.295/.357 in 99 games for the Tigers in 2024.
  • The Guardians avoided arbitration with right-hander Ben Lively, per Paul Hoynes of cleveland.com (X link). He’ll make $2.25MM next year, below his $3.2MM projection. Lively had a 3.81 ERA in 151 innings for the Guards this year.
  • The Cubs and right-hander Julian Merryweather have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a salary of $1.225MM, per Jesse Rogers of ESPN (X link). That’s just shy of his $1.3MM projection. Merryweather had a 6.60 ERA in 2024 but was injured most of the time and only made 15 appearances. He had a solid 3.38 ERA the year prior in 72 innings. The Cubs also agreed to terms with catcher Matt Thaiss and righty Keegan Thompson, per Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune (X link), though salary figures have not yet been reported.
  • The Blue Jays got a deal done with right-hander Erik Swanson, per Shi Davidi of Sportsnet on X. The righty was projected for $3.2MM next year but will make a smidge less than that, with Keegan Matheson of MLB.com (X link) relaying that Swanson will make $3MM. He had a 5.03 ERA in 2024 but was at 2.97 the year prior and also finished this year strong, with a 2.55 ERA in the second half.
  • The Yankees reached agreement with center fielder Trent Grisham on a $5MM salary, reports Jorge Castillo of ESPN (on X). The deal contains another $250K in incentives. The two-time Gold Glove winner had been projected at $5.7MM. Grisham had an underwhelming .190/.290/.385 showing during his first season in the Bronx. The Yankees will nevertheless keep him around for his final year of arbitration, presumably in a fourth outfield capacity. The Yankees also announced that they have a deal with righty JT Brubaker, though figures haven’t been reported. He was projected for a salary of $2.275MM, the same figure he made in 2023 and 2024, two seasons he missed while recovering from Tommy John surgery.
  • The Rockies reached deals with outfielder Sam Hilliard and lefty reliever Lucas Gilbreath, Feinsand reports (on X). Hilliard gets $1MM, while Gilbreath signed for $785K. Both figures come in shy of the respective $1.7MM and $900K projections. Hilliard popped 10 home runs over 58 games as a depth outfielder. Gilbreath only made three appearances after missing the entire ’23 season to Tommy John surgery. He posted a 4.19 ERA across 43 innings two years ago.

Earlier Agreements

  • The Dodgers and right-hander Tony Gonsolin have agreed to a $5.4MM salary for 2025, per Robert Murray of FanSided (X link), an exact match for his projection. He had signed a two-year, $6.65MM deal to cover the 2023 and 2024 seasons. He made 20 starts for the Dodgers in the first year of that pact but he missed all of 2024 recovering from Tommy John surgery.
  • The Guardians and Sam Hentges have agreed to a $1.337MM deal, according to Robert Murray of FanSided. That’s right in line with his projected $1.4MM salary. The left-hander has been an effective reliever for Cleveland over the past three seasons (2.93 ERA, 2.82 SIERA, 138 IP), but he missed the latter half of 2024 with a shoulder injury. After undergoing surgery in September, he will miss the entire 2025 season.
  • The Orioles and infielder Emmanuel Rivera agreed to a $1MM deal, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. He’d been projected at $1.4MM. He hit .238/.312/.343 this year.
  • Right-hander Brock Stewart and the Twins agreed to a one-year deal worth $870K, MLBTR has learned. He’d been projected at $800K. Stewart, who missed much of the season due to injury, can earn another $30K via incentives. He’s been lights-out for the Twins when healthy over the past two seasons (2.28 ERA, 33.5 K%, 10.8 BB%). Minnesota and righty Michael Tonkin also agreed to a $1MM deal, tweets Jon Heyman of the New York Post. He’d been projected at $1.5MM. The Twins later announced that they had reached deals with Stewart, Tonkin and righty Justin Topa. Hewas projected for $1.3MM next year but will come in just shy of that in terms of guarantee. Per Bobby Nightengale of the Star Tribune (Bluesky link), it’s a $1.225MM guarantee in the form of a $1MM salary and then a $225K buyout on a $2MM club option for 2026.
  • The Padres and Tyler Wade agreed to a one-year deal worth $900K, Heyman tweets. There’s a club option for an additional season. Wade, who hit .217/.285/.239 in 2024, was projected for that same $900K figure.
  • Infielder Santiago Espinal and the Reds settled on a one-year deal at $2.4MM, Heyman tweets. That’s well shy of his $4MM projection and actually represents a slight pay cut after Espinal hit .246/.295/.356 for Cincinnati.
  • The Rangers and righty Dane Dunning agreed to a one-year deal worth $2.66MM, Heyman reports. It’s a 19% cut after Dunning struggled to a 5.31 ERA in 95 innings this past season. He was projected at $4.4MM.
  • The Giants and right-hander Austin Warren agreed to terms on a one-year deal, reports Justice de los Santos of the San Jose Mercury News. He missed most of the season recovering from Tommy John surgery but returned late with 10 2/3 innings of two-run ball out of the bullpen.
  • The Brewers announced that they’ve signed catcher/outfielder Eric Haase to a one-year deal for the upcoming season. ESPN’s Jesse Rogers reports that the deal guarantees Haase $1.35MM with the chance to earn more via incentives. He’d been projected for a $1.8MM salary. Haase will fill the backup catcher role in Milwaukee next season. He’s controllable through the 2027 season.
  • The Dodgers and right-hander Dustin May settled at $2.135MM, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic (X link). That’s the exact same salary he had in 2024. May will be looking to bounce back after spending all of this year on the injured list.
  • The Phillies and right-hander José Ruiz settled at $1.225MM, per Robert Murray of FanSided (X link). That’s slightly above his $1.2MM projection. The righty can also unlock a $20K bonus for pitching in 30 games and $25K for pitching in 40. He made 52 appearances for the Phils in 2024 with a 3.71 ERA. Philadelphia also announced agreement with backup catcher Garrett Stubbs on a one-year deal. The Phils did not reveal the salary figure. Stubbs hit .207 in 54 games this year.
  • The Tigers and infielder/outfielder Zach McKinstry agreed to a $1.65MM salary for 2025, per Robert Murray of FanSided (hat tip to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press on X). That’s slightly ahead of his $1.3MM projection. He hit .215/.277/.337 this year while stealing 16 bases and playing each position except or first base and catcher,

Tigers To Recall Wenceel Perez For MLB Debut

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3:30pm: The Tigers have placed Ibanez on the 10-day injured list due to a left hamstring strain, per Evan Woodbery of the MLive Media Group, with Perez recalled in the corresponding move.

2:56pm: The Tigers are calling up infielder/outfielder Wenceel Perez for his major league debut. Perez announced the news himself on his Instagram story. The team hasn’t confirmed the move themselves just yet, nor have the Tigers announced the corresponding 26-man roster move. Per Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, Perez will be replacing Andy Ibanez, who has some sort of injury. It’s not yet clear what that injury is or how significant it is.

Perez, 24, ranks as the Tigers’ No. 20 prospect at both Baseball America and MLB.com. He can provide the Tigers with an option at as many as five spots on the diamond. The versatile switch-hitter has played exclusively in the outfield in his first eight Triple-A games of the season, but he’s split the bulk of his professional career between the two middle infield slots, playing 1871 innings at shortstop and 1818 innings at second base.

While he’s out to a bit of a slow start this season, hitting .212/.297/.485 with a homer and four steals in 37 plate appearances, Pere turned in a strong .264/.394/.496 showing in his first 160 Triple-A plate appearances last year (124 wRC+). He regularly posts strong walk rates and well below-average strikeout rates in the minors. Perez may not have elite power or speed, but he popped a career-high 14 homers in 2023 and has averaged 22 stolen bases per year dating back to 2021.

Scouting reports on Perez note that he easily has the range to play second base but is hampered there by inconsistent throws. The Tigers are hopeful that top prospect Colt Keith can handle that position long-term anyhow, and they’re stuck with Javier Baez’s contract at shortstop, so a move to the outfield makes sense as Perez deepens his defensive versatility to prep for the utility role that both BA and MLB.com suggest he can fill.

The Tigers selected Perez to the 40-man roster following the 2022 season. He’s in the second of three minor league option years and can be freely shuttled between Toledo and Detroit this year without needing to worry about waivers. He will likely replace Ibanez on the club’s bench next to Matt Vierling and Zach McKinstry.

A.J. Hinch Discusses Tigers Infield Plans

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Tigers manager A.J. Hinch was a guest on the New York Post’s podcast with Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman this afternoon. The veteran skipper addressed the team’s infield as part of a wide-ranging conversation.

Detroit heads into Spring Training with some uncertainty at both second and third base. The Tigers didn’t have a set starter at either position last season. No single player even reached 250 plate appearances while manning one of those spots. The Tigers haven’t gone outside the organization for any infield acquisitions aside from corner outfielder/first baseman Mark Canha.

On the heels of last week’s near-$29MM extension, top prospect Colt Keith appears the presumptive starter at the keystone. Asked by Sherman whether Keith could make the Opening Day roster, Hinch replied the 22-year-old will “have to come and earn it.” Hinch called it the organization’s expectation that Keith will perform well enough in Spring Training to break camp but stressed the contract alone won’t guarantee him a season-opening job.

As one would expect, Hinch went on to speak effusively of Keith’s offensive upside. The left-handed hitter is coming off a huge year in the upper minors. Keith opened the year with a .325/.391/.585 showing over 59 games at Double-A Erie. He continued hitting after a late-June promotion to Triple-A Toledo. Keith ran a .287/.369/.521 slash in 67 contests with the Mud Hens. He walked at a strong 11.9% clip while keeping his strikeouts to a modest 19.3% rate. Overall, he connected on 27 homers and 38 doubles with a .306/.380/.552 batting line to cement himself among the sport’s most promising offensive prospects.

Keith’s defensive fit isn’t as clear. He’d been a third baseman for the bulk of his career but has seen increasing large portions of time at second in recent years. Hinch confirmed that Keith would play mostly at the keystone moving forward, although he indicated the young infielder could still see occasional reps at the hot corner.

If Keith indeed grabs hold of the second base job, that could push a handful of Detroit’s multi-positional infielders more frequently to third. Zach McKinstry, Andy Ibáñez and Nick Maton all took reps at both positions a year ago. Matt Vierling made 27 starts at third while opening 94 contests throughout the outfield.

Hinch suggested the Tigers were content to mix and match at third base. In response to an inquiry from Heyman about the possibility of going outside the organization for a clearer upgrade, the manager spoke of the team’s comfort with “optionality for (players) to emerge.” Hinch said the team planned to give playing time to each of Ibáñez, McKinstry and Vierling — in addition to any reps which Keith might pick up — and opined they’ll “be able to piece it together and maybe have a better player than (they would’ve with) one singular guy.”

Specifically, the manager pointed out the possibility for “a natural platoon” between the right-handed hitting Ibáñez and the lefty-swinging McKinstry. Ibáñez, claimed off waivers from the Rangers last offseason, had a quietly effective season after being promoted to the majors at the end of April. He hit .264/.312/.433 over a career-high 383 trips to the plate. He did most of his damage against left-handed pitching, connecting on six homers and nine doubles with a .261/.297/.523 line over 118 plate appearances versus southpaws.

Detroit acquired McKinstry on the eve of Opening Day. While he got out to an excellent start, his production cratered from June onwards. He ended the season with a well below-average .230/.297/.356 slash through 472 plate appearances against right-handers. That’s not enough offense for a strong side platoon player, so he’d need to put together better results if he’s to log that kind of playing time now that Detroit has more serious postseason aspirations.

Vierling, a righty hitter, profiles as both a third base option and a fourth outfielder behind Canha, Parker Meadows and Riley Greene. The former Phillie was a league average player in his first season in Detroit, hitting .261/.329/.388 with 10 homers across 530 plate appearances.

Prospects Justyn-Henry Malloy and Jace Jung have third base experience, but neither is sure to make an impact at the position in 2024. Baseball America’s scouting report on Malloy suggests he’s likelier to play the corner outfield because of throwing accuracy issues on the infield dirt. Jung, the 12th overall pick in 2022, finished last year in Double-A. He could play his way into the mix at some point in the year but will start the season in the upper minors.

Tigers Select Andy Ibanez, Place Kerry Carpenter On IL

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The Tigers have made a series of roster moves this morning, placing outfielder Kerry Carpenter on the 10-day injured list with a right shoulder strain and selecting the contract of infielder Andy Ibanez. To make room on the 40-man roster for Ibanez, right hander Matt Manning was transferred to the 60-day IL.

Ibanez was outrighted off the Tigers’ roster in January, but returns after hitting .297/.418/.609 with five home runs this year at Triple-A. The 30-year-old made his big league debut for the Rangers two years ago and has slashed a combined .258/.306/.384 with eight home runs across 400 plate appearances. The Tigers claimed him off waivers at the end of last season. The majority of his playing time has been spent at second and third, but he has filled in in the outfield as well as at first.

Carpenter’s hitting .217/.280/.464 with four home runs to begin the season, his second big league campaign. The 19th round pick from 2019 showed a bit more promise last year, but has struggled to start 2023. The 25-year-old broke out in Triple-A last year, slashing .331/.420/.644 with eight home runs in 138 plate appearances, and so while he’s yet to hit a great deal at the big leagues there is a bit of promise there.

Tigers Notes: Nevin, Ibáñez, Rosenthal

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TODAY: Nevin has been diagnosed with a “mild” left oblique strain, the Tigers told Evan Petzold and other reporters, with no other details given about when Nevin might return to the field.

MARCH 8: The Tigers have a couple of injury situations to monitor, as relayed by Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. Infielder Tyler Nevin removed himself from batting practice yesterday and reported feeling soreness in his oblique. Meanwhile, fellow infielder Andy Ibáñez sprained the fourth finger on his left hand while preparing for the World Baseball Classic.

In Nevin’s case, the severity of the issue isn’t yet known, but oblique issues are notoriously tricky to deal with. As Petzold points out, even a mild oblique strain can potentially lead to a month-long absence. Manager A.J. Hinch says that Nevin is headed for an MRI, which will determine the next steps. In the case of Ibáñez, the issue seems less concerning. Though his finger is swollen, it’s not broken. Ibáñez plans to sit out of WBC action for a few days and seems confident he’ll be recovered after that.

These two injuries could potentially have implications for the club’s plans, as both players are part of a competition for the open third base job. The club non-tendered Jeimer Candelario in the winter and has various players jockeying for the role of his replacement. At this point, it seems the most likely scenario involves the left-handed hitting Nick Maton taking the strong side of a platoon. Maton actually has reverse splits in his career so far, but in a small sample of 216 plate appearances.

Both Nevin and Ibáñez hit from the right side and could potentially take the small side of a platoon with Maton, though the injuries could delay that plan. If those two players have to miss any time, it perhaps increases the chances of Andre Lipcius, Ryan Kreidler, Zack Short or César Hernández seizing some playing time. Hernández is a switch-hitter with the other three all hitting right-handed.

“I like the way he swings the bat, and he’s increasing his versatility, which is the point of camp for him,” Hinch said about Lipcius. “He’s doing what he’s always done.” Lipcius has primarily played third base in the minors, but has also seen some decent time at second and a very brief stint at first. He hit .277/.391/.435 between Double-A and Triple-A last year for a wRC+ of 128. He’s yet to make his major league debut but was added to the 40-man roster in November.

Elsewhere in Tigers’ camp, Trevor Rosenthal will be attempting to get back to the big leagues after signing a minor league deal with the club. He wasn’t able to appear in either of the past two seasons due to various setbacks, including thoracic outlet surgery, hip labrum surgery and a recurring hamstring injury. Though Rosenthal will be hoping for better health this year, it seems there’s still some work to do and his return isn’t imminent.

“There’s no need to have a sense for a timeline,” Hinch tells Petzold. “It does not matter when he’s ready as long as he’s healthy. We’re not going to push it. There is no artificial date. Opening Day is not something that’s feasible. We’re going to be very strict and diligent with our work with him.”

Rosenthal says the injuries are behind him now, but he’s on board with the plan the club has laid out for him. “I want to be intentional about taking the right steps and making sure I am ready, and really utilizing the time that’s left in camp,” Rosenthal says. “I think, in these three weeks, I’ll be able to get to where I want to be, but if not, I think they’re going to do a good job of taking care of me in that regard.”

He hasn’t been healthy much in the past few years, but he was very good earlier in his career and dominant for a brief spell in 2020. He made 23 appearances that year with a 1.90 ERA and struck out an incredible 41.8% of batters faced. However, the two years on either side of that season were were essentially lost due to the aforementioned injuries.

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