The Tigers have moved on from Trei Cruz for now, sending the outfielder through outright waivers and assigning him to Triple-A Toledo, according to Chris McCosky of Detroit News. Detroit had designated him for assignment two days earlier after selecting Brett Callahan.
Cruz, 28, entered pro ball as a third-round pick in the 2020 draft and spent much of his early prospect life with a little more attention on his last name than his stat line. He is the son of José Cruz and the grandson of José Cruz.
Last season, though, he looked like he might be turning a corner. Cruz broke out in the minors with 13 home runs, an 18.1% walk rate and a .279/.411/.456 line that translated to a 149 wRC+. A .349 batting average on balls in play helped fuel that production, but it was still enough for Detroit to put him on the 40-man roster in November and keep him out of the Rule 5 draft.
This year has gone the other way. Cruz got his first taste of the majors and went hitless in five plate appearances, striking out three times.
Back in Triple-A, he has logged 70 games with just two home runs and a 10.2% walk rate. That’s still a solid walk mark, but nowhere near last year’s level, and the overall line has slid to .230/.306/.309 with a 68 wRC+.
The Tigers had already pushed him off the roster despite the fact that he is in the first of three option years. The rest of the league let him clear as well, and now he’s on his first career outright. Because he has less than three years of service time, he does not have the right to elect free agency.
In Other News...
Former Tigers Catcher Sees His Future Shift Again In A Hurry
Jake Rogers return to Comerica Park came in a far different uniform than the one Detroit fans knew best, and it arrived after a whirlwind stretch that has sent the catcher bouncing around the league. In just the past few weeks, Rogers went from being designated for assignment by the Tigers to a trade with the Orioles, then another move to the Red Sox, before landing with the White Sox and showing up back in Detroit as an opponent.
Rogers appeared in one game against his former club and went 0-for-4, a small stat line that still carried a lot of weight considering how quickly his career has shifted. For the Tigers, it was another reminder of how fast roster churn can reshape a players path, and for Rogers, the most recent stop may not feel settled yet after so many changes in such a short span. [Read more 🡒]
Tarik Skubal's Next Move Could Reframe The Tigers Trade Debate
The Tigers have kept themselves in the mix since the trade deadline, even after moving pitchers Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize, and that has only sharpened the debate over how the front office handled its most valuable arm. Skubals departure was always going to linger over the season because of what he means to Detroit and because the organization has leaned into maximizing trade value rather than making a long-term commitment.
Now the conversation is shifting toward what comes next, with Skubal expected to reach free agency soon. Detroit has little room to get involved in a bidding war, which leaves the club watching from a distance as his market takes shape and wondering whether the trade route was the right call all along. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Denied Potential Triple Play By Bizarre Umpire Ruling
A strange sequence at third base left the Tigers frustrated in the middle of a game, when Kevin McGonigle appeared to catch a sinking liner that could have turned into a triple play. Third-base umpire Austin Jones ruled the ball trapped instead, wiping out the chance for an inning-ending gem and leaving McGonigle to keep playing through the action as he tried to double off a runner at first base.
Because the play was not reviewable, the ruling stood, and manager AJ Hinch later addressed how unusual it all looked from the dugout. The Tigers eventually got a more conventional defensive highlight when center fielder Max Clark made a notable catch to end the inning, but the earlier missed opportunity was the kind of call that lingers when a team is already trying to squeeze every outs out of a game. [Read more 🡒]