The Tigers have acquired minor league first baseman Dillon Paulson from the Rays in exchange for cash, tweets Chris McCoskey of the Detroit News. It’s the second cash swap that’s sent a minor leaguer from Tampa Bay to Detroit this week, as the Tigers also purchased outfielder Grant Witherspoon from the Rays a couple days ago. Paulson isn’t on the 40-man roster, so the Tigers don’t need to make a corresponding transaction.
The 25-year-old Paulson is a left-handed hitter who was originally selected by the Dodgers in the 13th round of the 2018 draft. He landed in Tampa Bay as part of the three-team trade that sent Jose Alvarado from Tampa Bay to Philadelphia.
Paulson has been productive throughout his minor league career and got out to a terrific start with the Rays’ Double-A club in 2021, slashing .340/.373/.396 but in a tiny sample of just 59 plate appearances. Unfortunately, he sustained a torn ACL that required surgery and wiped out the remainder of his ’21 campaign. He was limited to just 24 games in 2022, batting a combined .224/.382/.448 in 89 plate appearances between Rookie ball and High-A.
Paulson will turn 26 in June, but because of the canceled 2020 season and that ACL tear, he’s only played in 15 games above A-ball. He’ll give the Tigers a lefty bat to stash in the middle of their system in hopes that with better health, he can build upon his career .257/.374/.458 output in 214 minor league games.
