Key Detroit Tigers Veterans Among Latest Roster Cuts at Spring Training
With opening day less than two weeks away, the decisions get harder for teams like the Detroit Tigers.
Which players to keep in Major League camp and which ones to re-assign are the toughest of them all. Players that have been in spring training for a month likely have something to offer at the MLB level.
It just won’t be right now for the eight players the Tigers re-assigned to their minor league camp on Saturday morning.
Notably, Detroit's spring training roster is down to 41 players. The Tigers must finalize their 26-man roster and 40-man roster by opening day.
Among them are three veterans that could be on call in injuries arise — outfielders Akil Baddoo and Bligh Madris, along with catcher Brian Serven.
Baddoo is most recognizable to Tigers fans, as he has spent the last four years with Detroit as a part-time outfielder. His rookie season in 2021 saw him slash .259/.330/.436/.766 with 13 home runs and 55 RBI. His production has not approached that since. Last campaign he played in 31 games.
For his four-year career he has slashed .226/.307/.372/.679 with 28 home runs and 103 RBI.
Madris joined the Tigers last season after short stints with the Pittsburgh Pirates (2022) and the Houston Astros (2023). He played in 21 games in 2023 but finished with a solid slash line of .269/.324/.358/.682 with one home runs and five RBI.
Sevren was signed to a minor-league deal in December and has played in 101 MLB games, most recently with the Toronto Blue Jays. He’s considered a quality receiver, but he carries a light bat. He has a slash line of .187/.247/.293/.540 with six home runs and 20 RBI.
The only other non-pitcher re-assigned with infielder Andrew Navigato. The 26-year-old has never played in the Majors and was the Tigers’ 20th-round pick in 2019.
Four pitchers were also reassigned — right-handers Jordan Balazovic and Brendan White, along with left-handers Dietrich Enns and Matt Gage.
White emerged as a bullpen option in 2023 as a rookie, as he went 2-3 with a 5.09 ERA in 33 games (two starts), with 44 strikeouts and 15 walks in 40.2 innings. Enns has 11 MLB appearances with other teams but has never pitched for the Tigers. He is 2-0 with a 3.42 ERA. Gage has 16 games of MLB experience with other teams and is 0-1 with a 1.83 ERA. He has struck out 20 and walked nine in 19.2 innings.
The Tigers will play the Los Angeles Dodgers on opening day at Dodgers Stadium.
