4 days ago
The Detroit Tigers are about to make a rotation change that looks temporary on paper.
It may not stay that way.
Left-hander Andrew Sears is already in Detroit and is expected to start Saturday against the Colorado Rockies. The Tigers are expected to place Keider Montero on the paternity list as he travels to Venezuela for the birth of his child, according to reporting from Evan Woodbery.
Normally, that would be a straightforward swap. One starter leaves for a few days, another fills his spot, and everything returns to normal when the original starter comes back.
Detroit's situation is more complicated because Jack Flaherty is also closing in on his return from the injured list.
#list #starter
It may not stay that way.
Left-hander Andrew Sears is already in Detroit and is expected to start Saturday against the Colorado Rockies. The Tigers are expected to place Keider Montero on the paternity list as he travels to Venezuela for the birth of his child, according to reporting from Evan Woodbery.
Normally, that would be a straightforward swap. One starter leaves for a few days, another fills his spot, and everything returns to normal when the original starter comes back.
Detroit's situation is more complicated because Jack Flaherty is also closing in on his return from the injured list.
#list #starter
16 days ago
The LA Dodgers lost Game 2 of the three-game series against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on Saturday night. Detroit won 2-1 on a walk-off hit in the ninth. The victory was backed by spirited pitching from Keider Montero and Andrew Sears, along with contributions from Gleyber Torres and Kevin McGonigle.
During a post-game media interview shared by Spectrum SportsNet, Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez shared his thoughts on the 2-1 loss.
"They've been pitching really good against us," he said. "Everybody's gonna have a little extra when they face this team."
MLB fans quickly shared their reactions to Hernandez's comment.
"Not gonna lie, this "everybody vs. LA" mentality is getting tiresome," one fan commented.
#gonna #tigers
During a post-game media interview shared by Spectrum SportsNet, Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez shared his thoughts on the 2-1 loss.
"They've been pitching really good against us," he said. "Everybody's gonna have a little extra when they face this team."
MLB fans quickly shared their reactions to Hernandez's comment.
"Not gonna lie, this "everybody vs. LA" mentality is getting tiresome," one fan commented.
#gonna #tigers
17 days ago
DETROIT (AP) — Javier Báez made huge ninth-inning plays in the field and at the plate to set up Kevin McGonigle's game-ending single as the Detroit Tigers beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1 on Saturday.
The Dodgers nearly took the lead in the top of the inning, but with two outs, Báez sprinted over from left field to run down Teoscar Hernández's drive to the deepest part of the ballpark.
He then led off the bottom of the ninth with a double and took third on Max Clark's sacrifice bunt. Jack Dreyer (5-2) intentionally walked Gleyber Torres, but then walked Hao-Yu Lee unintentionally to load the bases.
McGonigle then hit a deep fly to left-center field that hit the warning track and bounced into the Dodgers bullpen. Because the winning run was on third, the play was ruled a single rather than a ground-rule double.
Each starter pitched well, but neither was involved in the decision. Blake Snell allowed one run on three hits in five innings, striking out 10, while Tigers starter Keider Montero gave up one run in 5 1/3 innings.
#field
The Dodgers nearly took the lead in the top of the inning, but with two outs, Báez sprinted over from left field to run down Teoscar Hernández's drive to the deepest part of the ballpark.
He then led off the bottom of the ninth with a double and took third on Max Clark's sacrifice bunt. Jack Dreyer (5-2) intentionally walked Gleyber Torres, but then walked Hao-Yu Lee unintentionally to load the bases.
McGonigle then hit a deep fly to left-center field that hit the warning track and bounced into the Dodgers bullpen. Because the winning run was on third, the play was ruled a single rather than a ground-rule double.
Each starter pitched well, but neither was involved in the decision. Blake Snell allowed one run on three hits in five innings, striking out 10, while Tigers starter Keider Montero gave up one run in 5 1/3 innings.
#field
25 days ago
KANSAS CITY, MO - Suddenly, Detroit Tigers pitcher Troy Melton didn't look comfortable.
He stomped on the mound in Kauffman Stadium, trying to fix his landing spot. He knelt behind the rubber and scraped at his cleats. The usually unflappable pitcher seemed out of sorts at the end of his outing in a 5-2 loss to the Kansas City Royals o Friday, Aug. 21. He gave up a pair of home runs, which was odd on its own – he had given up only one dinger in his last eight starts.
So, that was weird. But now, here's a little perspective: He ended up giving up just two earned runs in 5⅔ innings and it felt like a bad start, which tells you how impressive he has been.
But on this night, the Tigers were doomed by the long ball.
SHUFFLING THE ROTATION: Keider Montero getting extra days of rest from Detroit Tigers
#runs #melton
He stomped on the mound in Kauffman Stadium, trying to fix his landing spot. He knelt behind the rubber and scraped at his cleats. The usually unflappable pitcher seemed out of sorts at the end of his outing in a 5-2 loss to the Kansas City Royals o Friday, Aug. 21. He gave up a pair of home runs, which was odd on its own – he had given up only one dinger in his last eight starts.
So, that was weird. But now, here's a little perspective: He ended up giving up just two earned runs in 5⅔ innings and it felt like a bad start, which tells you how impressive he has been.
But on this night, the Tigers were doomed by the long ball.
SHUFFLING THE ROTATION: Keider Montero getting extra days of rest from Detroit Tigers
#runs #melton
28 days ago
This article originally appeared on PGHBaseballNOW.com.
After throwing a complete game in his last start in Miami, Braxton Ashcraft threw eight strong innings for the Pirates on Tuesday night. His efforts, along with a two-run home run from Oneil Cruz in his first game off the injured list, lifted Pittsburgh to a 4-1 win over the Tigers at PNC Park.
Top 5th, 1-0 DET: Brett Callahan hit his first-career home run, a solo shot to right off Braxton Ashcraft (13-5) to give the Tigers (61-65) the lead.
Bottom 5th, 3-1 PIT: The Pirates (62-66) didn't get their first hit off Keider Montero (9-8) until the fifth, but Oneil Cruz's two-run home run in his second at-bat off the injured list gave them the lead. Later in the inning, Spencer Horwitz singled home another run with two outs.
Bottom 8th, 4-1 PIT: Bryan Reynolds plated Jared Triolo with a two-out single to left-center off Enmanuel De Jesus to give the Pirates an insurance run.
#pirates #tigers
After throwing a complete game in his last start in Miami, Braxton Ashcraft threw eight strong innings for the Pirates on Tuesday night. His efforts, along with a two-run home run from Oneil Cruz in his first game off the injured list, lifted Pittsburgh to a 4-1 win over the Tigers at PNC Park.
Top 5th, 1-0 DET: Brett Callahan hit his first-career home run, a solo shot to right off Braxton Ashcraft (13-5) to give the Tigers (61-65) the lead.
Bottom 5th, 3-1 PIT: The Pirates (62-66) didn't get their first hit off Keider Montero (9-8) until the fifth, but Oneil Cruz's two-run home run in his second at-bat off the injured list gave them the lead. Later in the inning, Spencer Horwitz singled home another run with two outs.
Bottom 8th, 4-1 PIT: Bryan Reynolds plated Jared Triolo with a two-out single to left-center off Enmanuel De Jesus to give the Pirates an insurance run.
#pirates #tigers
28 days ago
PITTSBURGH – Sometimes a game looks like it's headed one way and then heads another in an instant, which is what happened to the Detroit Tigers in their 4-1 loss to the Pirates Tuesday, Aug. 18, at PNC Park.
Keider Montero had a perfect game going for a while and then lost his ability to throw strikes. But then the Tigers starting pitcher only gave up three runs in five innings, and wasn't the only reason they lost.
They couldn't hit. Or even manufacture many chances. Not more than one, anyway, as Braxton Ashcraft stymied the Tigers for eight innings, giving up only five hits that felt like even less.
One was to rookie outfielder Brett Callahan, who is the latest in a recent string of call-ups who've announced themselves loudly at the Major League level, and did so again Tuesday with a solo home run in the fifth.
Callahan's blast gave the Tigers a lead that Montero relinquished in the bottom of the inning, and they never threatened again.
#tigers #only #lost #innings
Keider Montero had a perfect game going for a while and then lost his ability to throw strikes. But then the Tigers starting pitcher only gave up three runs in five innings, and wasn't the only reason they lost.
They couldn't hit. Or even manufacture many chances. Not more than one, anyway, as Braxton Ashcraft stymied the Tigers for eight innings, giving up only five hits that felt like even less.
One was to rookie outfielder Brett Callahan, who is the latest in a recent string of call-ups who've announced themselves loudly at the Major League level, and did so again Tuesday with a solo home run in the fifth.
Callahan's blast gave the Tigers a lead that Montero relinquished in the bottom of the inning, and they never threatened again.
#tigers #only #lost #innings
28 days ago
PITTSBURGH – Sometimes a game looks like it's headed one way and then heads another in an instant, which is what happened to the Detroit Tigers in their 4-1 loss to the Pirates Tuesday, Aug. 18, at PNC Park.
Keider Montero had a perfect game going for a while and then lost his ability to throw strikes. But then the Tigers starting pitcher only gave up three runs in five innings, and wasn't the only reason they lost.
They couldn't hit. Or even manufacture many chances. Not more than one, anyway, as Braxton Ashcraft stymied the Tigers for eight innings, giving up only five hits that felt like even less.
One was to rookie outfielder Brett Callahan, who is the latest in a recent string of call-ups who've announced themselves loudly at the Major League level, and did so again Tuesday with a solo home run in the fifth.
Callahan's blast gave the Tigers a lead that Montero relinquished in the bottom of the inning, and they never threatened again.
#tuesday #montero #like #five
Keider Montero had a perfect game going for a while and then lost his ability to throw strikes. But then the Tigers starting pitcher only gave up three runs in five innings, and wasn't the only reason they lost.
They couldn't hit. Or even manufacture many chances. Not more than one, anyway, as Braxton Ashcraft stymied the Tigers for eight innings, giving up only five hits that felt like even less.
One was to rookie outfielder Brett Callahan, who is the latest in a recent string of call-ups who've announced themselves loudly at the Major League level, and did so again Tuesday with a solo home run in the fifth.
Callahan's blast gave the Tigers a lead that Montero relinquished in the bottom of the inning, and they never threatened again.
#tuesday #montero #like #five
28 days ago
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Braxton Ashcraft allowed five hits over eight efficient innings, Oneil Cruz homered in his return from the injured list, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Detroit Tigers 4-1 on Tuesday night.
Ashcraft (13-5), a first-time All-Star this season, struck out four and didn't issue a walk while throwing just 80 pitches. The 26-year-old right-hander, coming off the first complete game of his career in a win over Miami last week, gave up a fifth-inning homer to Tigers rookie Brett Callahan but otherwise cruised to his fourth win in five starts.
Ashcraft became the first Pittsburgh pitcher since A.J. Burnett in 2012 to record a complete game and then work at least eight innings in his next start.
Mason Montgomery worked the ninth for his fifth save.
Cruz, out since early June after breaking his left hand, turned on a 2-2 knuckle curve from Keider Montero (9-8) in the fifth inning and sent it 422 feet to right-center for his 15th homer of the season and his first since June 2. It was Pittsburgh's 81st homer at PNC Park, tying the 2003 team for the most in a season at the ballpark that opened in 2001.
#fifth #tigers
Ashcraft (13-5), a first-time All-Star this season, struck out four and didn't issue a walk while throwing just 80 pitches. The 26-year-old right-hander, coming off the first complete game of his career in a win over Miami last week, gave up a fifth-inning homer to Tigers rookie Brett Callahan but otherwise cruised to his fourth win in five starts.
Ashcraft became the first Pittsburgh pitcher since A.J. Burnett in 2012 to record a complete game and then work at least eight innings in his next start.
Mason Montgomery worked the ninth for his fifth save.
Cruz, out since early June after breaking his left hand, turned on a 2-2 knuckle curve from Keider Montero (9-8) in the fifth inning and sent it 422 feet to right-center for his 15th homer of the season and his first since June 2. It was Pittsburgh's 81st homer at PNC Park, tying the 2003 team for the most in a season at the ballpark that opened in 2001.
#fifth #tigers
1 month ago
The Detroit Tigers took the second of their three-game road series against the Athletics with an 8-6 win on Saturday night. Max Clark hit his first major league home run and Framber Valdez threw a quality start, but the bullpen almost gave another one away in the late innings.
Looking to seal the sweep in Sacramento, the Motor City Kitties send right-hander Keider Montero to the mound. The 26-year-old's last outing against the Baltimore Orioles was a dud, serving up six runs (four earned) on nine hits (one home run) and a walk while striking out one and hitting a batter over 4 1/3 innings to earn his sixth loss of 2026 in an 8-5 final.
For the A's, left-hander Gage Jump will be making the 13th start of his rookie campaign coming off one of his better outings of the summer. At home against the Boston Red Sox, the 23-year-old threw six scoreless frames on three hits and four walks while striking out seven to earn his fourth win in a 4-3 final.
Here is how things look on paper heading into the series finale on Sunday afternoon.
Time (ET): 4:05 p.m.
Place: Sutter Health Park, Sacramento, California
SB Nation Site: Athletics Nation
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
#series #threw
Looking to seal the sweep in Sacramento, the Motor City Kitties send right-hander Keider Montero to the mound. The 26-year-old's last outing against the Baltimore Orioles was a dud, serving up six runs (four earned) on nine hits (one home run) and a walk while striking out one and hitting a batter over 4 1/3 innings to earn his sixth loss of 2026 in an 8-5 final.
For the A's, left-hander Gage Jump will be making the 13th start of his rookie campaign coming off one of his better outings of the summer. At home against the Boston Red Sox, the 23-year-old threw six scoreless frames on three hits and four walks while striking out seven to earn his fourth win in a 4-3 final.
Here is how things look on paper heading into the series finale on Sunday afternoon.
Time (ET): 4:05 p.m.
Place: Sutter Health Park, Sacramento, California
SB Nation Site: Athletics Nation
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
#series #threw
2 months ago
The Detroit Tigers have released a veteran catcher.
The Tigers released nine-year veteran Tomás Nido from Triple-A Toledo on Tuesday, July 21. In his place, the Tigers signed veteran catcher Carlos Pérez to a minor-league deal on Wednesday, July 22, ******* igning him to Toledo.
Nido, who made his MLB debut with the New York Mets in 2017, originally signed a contract with the Tigers on Sept. 17, 2024. Nido appeared in 10 games for the Tigers in 2025, putting up a .704 OPS in 37 plate appearances in April and May.
KEIDER: Let's fully appreciate what Keider Montero is doing for surging Tigers
He re-signed with the Tigers ahead of the 2025 season and played 43 games with Toledo, but didn't break through to the majors as Eduardo Valencia emerged as the team's backup catcher during All-Star catcher Dillon Dingler's brief injury spell.
#tigers #keider
The Tigers released nine-year veteran Tomás Nido from Triple-A Toledo on Tuesday, July 21. In his place, the Tigers signed veteran catcher Carlos Pérez to a minor-league deal on Wednesday, July 22, ******* igning him to Toledo.
Nido, who made his MLB debut with the New York Mets in 2017, originally signed a contract with the Tigers on Sept. 17, 2024. Nido appeared in 10 games for the Tigers in 2025, putting up a .704 OPS in 37 plate appearances in April and May.
KEIDER: Let's fully appreciate what Keider Montero is doing for surging Tigers
He re-signed with the Tigers ahead of the 2025 season and played 43 games with Toledo, but didn't break through to the majors as Eduardo Valencia emerged as the team's backup catcher during All-Star catcher Dillon Dingler's brief injury spell.
#tigers #keider
2 months ago
The Detroit Tigers have released a veteran catcher.
The Tigers released nine-year veteran Tomás Nido from Triple-A Toledo on Tuesday, July 21. In his place, the Tigers signed veteran catcher Carlos Pérez to a minor-league deal on Wednesday, July 22, ****** igning him to Toledo.
Nido, who made his MLB debut with the New York Mets in 2017, originally signed a contract with the Tigers on Sept. 17, 2024. Nido appeared in 10 games for the Tigers in 2025, putting up a .704 OPS in 37 plate appearances in April and May.
KEIDER: Let's fully appreciate what Keider Montero is doing for surging Tigers
#toledo
The Tigers released nine-year veteran Tomás Nido from Triple-A Toledo on Tuesday, July 21. In his place, the Tigers signed veteran catcher Carlos Pérez to a minor-league deal on Wednesday, July 22, ****** igning him to Toledo.
Nido, who made his MLB debut with the New York Mets in 2017, originally signed a contract with the Tigers on Sept. 17, 2024. Nido appeared in 10 games for the Tigers in 2025, putting up a .704 OPS in 37 plate appearances in April and May.
KEIDER: Let's fully appreciate what Keider Montero is doing for surging Tigers
#toledo
2 months ago
CHICAGO – Keider Montero was brilliant, Hao-Yu Lee came up with the huge hit and the Detroit Tigers earned a 5-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Wednesday, July 22.
Montero, who moved from the bullpen back to the starting rotation, allowed just one run in 5⅓ innings to earn his second win on this six-game road trip.
Lee crushed a 3-run homer for the Tigers (48-54) against the formidable Cubs (57-45), likely a playoff team in the National League.
Most of the crowd at Wrigley Field went silent, but a chant was heard: "Let's go, Ti-gers!"
FOOT LOOSE: Kerry Carpenter injury update: Tigers slugger deals with bruised heel
#wrigley #keider #detroit #july
Montero, who moved from the bullpen back to the starting rotation, allowed just one run in 5⅓ innings to earn his second win on this six-game road trip.
Lee crushed a 3-run homer for the Tigers (48-54) against the formidable Cubs (57-45), likely a playoff team in the National League.
Most of the crowd at Wrigley Field went silent, but a chant was heard: "Let's go, Ti-gers!"
FOOT LOOSE: Kerry Carpenter injury update: Tigers slugger deals with bruised heel
#wrigley #keider #detroit #july
2 months ago
CHICAGO – Keider Montero was brilliant, Hao-Yu Lee came up with the huge hit and the Detroit Tigers earned a 5-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Wednesday, July 22.
Montero, who moved from the bullpen back to the starting rotation, allowed just one run in 5⅓ innings to earn his second win on this six-game road trip.
Lee crushed a 3-run homer for the Tigers (48-54) against the formidable Cubs (57-45), likely a playoff team in the National League.
Most of the crowd at Wrigley Field went silent, but a chant was heard: "Let's go, Ti-gers!"
FOOT LOOSE: Kerry Carpenter injury update: Tigers slugger deals with bruised heel
#Chicago #july
Montero, who moved from the bullpen back to the starting rotation, allowed just one run in 5⅓ innings to earn his second win on this six-game road trip.
Lee crushed a 3-run homer for the Tigers (48-54) against the formidable Cubs (57-45), likely a playoff team in the National League.
Most of the crowd at Wrigley Field went silent, but a chant was heard: "Let's go, Ti-gers!"
FOOT LOOSE: Kerry Carpenter injury update: Tigers slugger deals with bruised heel
#Chicago #july
2 months ago
CHICAGO – Keider Montero was brilliant, Hao-Yu Lee came up with the huge hit and the Detroit Tigers earned a 5-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Wednesday, July 22.
Montero, who moved from the bullpen back to the starting rotation, allowed just one run in 5⅓ innings to earn his second win on this six-game road trip.
Lee crushed a 3-run homer for the Tigers (48-54) against the formidable Cubs (57-45), likely a playoff team in the National League.
Most of the crowd at Wrigley Field went silent, but a chant was heard: "Let's go, Ti-gers!"
FOOT LOOSE: Kerry Carpenter injury update: Tigers slugger deals with bruised heel
#tigers #Cubs #july
Montero, who moved from the bullpen back to the starting rotation, allowed just one run in 5⅓ innings to earn his second win on this six-game road trip.
Lee crushed a 3-run homer for the Tigers (48-54) against the formidable Cubs (57-45), likely a playoff team in the National League.
Most of the crowd at Wrigley Field went silent, but a chant was heard: "Let's go, Ti-gers!"
FOOT LOOSE: Kerry Carpenter injury update: Tigers slugger deals with bruised heel
#tigers #Cubs #july
3 months ago
The White Sox offense struggled badly for a second consecutive game on Sunday afternoon, and for a while, they made Detroit starter Keider Montero look more like Tarik Skubal than Skubal himself did on Friday. Three blown leads in three days, this one a 5-4 eye-roller in 10 innings, means three losses. This is the first series sweep suffered by the Sox in more than two months, and now their fifth loss in their last six tries.
Davis Martin's fastball velocity once again sat at a worrying 93 mph, a full tick down from his average on the season, and it was reflected in other numbers. While getting ahead in the count and aggressively attacking hitters has been his bread and **** er all year, he only threw 46 of his 77 pitches for strikes, his second-lowest strike rate of the season. Detroit hitters swung at just about half of the pitches they saw, with only seven pitches flying by for called strikes. Martin got a fair number of whiffs, but he wasn't fooling too many hitters today.
Nonetheless, it was enough to get the job done. Or so it seemed.
MLB's Scott Merkin nailed the essence of this game when he noted after the fourth inning the the only batted ball of 100+ mph to that point had gotten spun for an inning-ending double play. Montero wasn't missing bats, but the Sox certainly weren't squaring him up, either. It took him just 50 pitches to get through five innings, well on his way to putting the Sox on the receiving end of a second Maddux in as many weeks.
Martin managed to match Montero through four innings before faltering in the fifth, when Colt Keith singled, stole second and scratched across the game's first run. On the other side, when the Sox last saw Montero on May 31, Detroit might have pulled him just a hair too early, as the Sox offense managed to engineer a late comeback against the Tigers bullpen. Today, manager A.J. Hinch may have left him in just a hair too long.
Davis Martin's fastball velocity once again sat at a worrying 93 mph, a full tick down from his average on the season, and it was reflected in other numbers. While getting ahead in the count and aggressively attacking hitters has been his bread and **** er all year, he only threw 46 of his 77 pitches for strikes, his second-lowest strike rate of the season. Detroit hitters swung at just about half of the pitches they saw, with only seven pitches flying by for called strikes. Martin got a fair number of whiffs, but he wasn't fooling too many hitters today.
Nonetheless, it was enough to get the job done. Or so it seemed.
MLB's Scott Merkin nailed the essence of this game when he noted after the fourth inning the the only batted ball of 100+ mph to that point had gotten spun for an inning-ending double play. Montero wasn't missing bats, but the Sox certainly weren't squaring him up, either. It took him just 50 pitches to get through five innings, well on his way to putting the Sox on the receiving end of a second Maddux in as many weeks.
Martin managed to match Montero through four innings before faltering in the fifth, when Colt Keith singled, stole second and scratched across the game's first run. On the other side, when the Sox last saw Montero on May 31, Detroit might have pulled him just a hair too early, as the Sox offense managed to engineer a late comeback against the Tigers bullpen. Today, manager A.J. Hinch may have left him in just a hair too long.
3 months ago
Justin Verlander was scheduled to come off the injured list to start on Sunday in Detroit, but instead, a new injury has popped up. He will stay on the IL after suffering a left hamstring strain while throwing a side session while the team was in Houston. In addition, Wenceel Pérez’s plyo band misadventure sends him to the injured list with a left orbital fracture. Reports suggest that his eye and eyesight are not affected, which is about the only good news out of any of this. Utility player Trei Cruz has been called up and will start in right field for the Tigers on Friday night, making his family just the seventh to put three different generation of players into the major leagues.
The Verlander news is unfortunate, but it might also be a bit of mercy. Taking Keider Montero out of the starting rotation isn’t the move right now in a baseball sense. With the Tigers likely to trade Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize, at a minimum, at the trade deadline, they might actually have more use for innings from Verlander in the final two months of the season. For all the bad of the 2026 season, there may still be an opportunity for Verlander to ride off into the sunset in front of the Detroit faithful in August and September. We’ll see if he can finally get right, or if it’s just not there anymore at age 43.
As for Pérez, the concern from the team, combined with the lack of specifics about the plyo band incident, were pretty concerning. Beyond baseball, there was fear that Pérez might have taken a shot to the eye itself. An orbital fracture isn’t great, but that will heal up with no long lasting effects, presumably. Just another bizarre injury in an absolutely cursed season.
As for Trei Cruz, while his statline in Toledo is pretty ugly, it needs to be remembered that he was injured for part of that time, and is only now a few weeks into getting regular reps. His good numbers at Triple-A in 2025 are probably more indicative of the real player. Either way, the switch hitter is going to do a whole lot of damage at the plate anyway. His game is working really pesky at-bats, situational hitting, stealing some bases, and occasionally chipping in some gap power. His real value is in the ability to play anywhere on the diamond, including shortstop, and play against left-handers as well as right-handed pitching. That might make it a little easier to get something out of a bench that has been downright horrendous in 2026.
In any case, with the season pretty well lost at this point, it’s just nice to see some new faces while we wait for Skubal and Mize to get it going enough to stabilize their trade value.
The Verlander news is unfortunate, but it might also be a bit of mercy. Taking Keider Montero out of the starting rotation isn’t the move right now in a baseball sense. With the Tigers likely to trade Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize, at a minimum, at the trade deadline, they might actually have more use for innings from Verlander in the final two months of the season. For all the bad of the 2026 season, there may still be an opportunity for Verlander to ride off into the sunset in front of the Detroit faithful in August and September. We’ll see if he can finally get right, or if it’s just not there anymore at age 43.
As for Pérez, the concern from the team, combined with the lack of specifics about the plyo band incident, were pretty concerning. Beyond baseball, there was fear that Pérez might have taken a shot to the eye itself. An orbital fracture isn’t great, but that will heal up with no long lasting effects, presumably. Just another bizarre injury in an absolutely cursed season.
As for Trei Cruz, while his statline in Toledo is pretty ugly, it needs to be remembered that he was injured for part of that time, and is only now a few weeks into getting regular reps. His good numbers at Triple-A in 2025 are probably more indicative of the real player. Either way, the switch hitter is going to do a whole lot of damage at the plate anyway. His game is working really pesky at-bats, situational hitting, stealing some bases, and occasionally chipping in some gap power. His real value is in the ability to play anywhere on the diamond, including shortstop, and play against left-handers as well as right-handed pitching. That might make it a little easier to get something out of a bench that has been downright horrendous in 2026.
In any case, with the season pretty well lost at this point, it’s just nice to see some new faces while we wait for Skubal and Mize to get it going enough to stabilize their trade value.
3 months ago
DETROIT (AP) — Bryce Miller allowed one hit in six scoreless innings and the Seattle Mariners got back on track with a 4-0 win over the Detroit Tigers on Saturday afternoon.
Dominic Canzone drove in two runs with a pair of long extra-base hits for the Mariners, who had lost two straight after an eight-game winning streak.
Detroit was 4-0 in June after going 6-22 in May.
Miller (2-0) allowed a lead-off triple to Colt Keith in the third and walked two batters while striking out nine. He has allowed 16 hits in 27 innings this season, striking out 29.
Tigers starter Keider Montero (2-4) gave up four runs on six hits in five innings.
Dominic Canzone drove in two runs with a pair of long extra-base hits for the Mariners, who had lost two straight after an eight-game winning streak.
Detroit was 4-0 in June after going 6-22 in May.
Miller (2-0) allowed a lead-off triple to Colt Keith in the third and walked two batters while striking out nine. He has allowed 16 hits in 27 innings this season, striking out 29.
Tigers starter Keider Montero (2-4) gave up four runs on six hits in five innings.
