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Detroit Tigers set 13 position players for Opening Day with three cuts in spring training
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- Detroit Tigers set 13 position players for Opening Day with three cuts in spring training
LAKELAND, Fla. — The Detroit Tigers have their 13 position players for the Opening Day roster.
After Thursday's 10-5 loss to the New York Mets , the Tigers made three roster moves in the fifth round of spring training cuts. Outfielder Akil Baddoo and infielder Ryan Kreidler were optioned to Triple-A Toledo, while outfielder Justyn-Henry Malloy , a top prospect, was reassigned to minor-league camp.
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The Tigers have 31 players remaining in MLB spring training, but only 13 position players. The Tigers must cut five more players — one starting pitcher, four relief pitchers — before next Thursday's deadline to set the roster for Opening Day. The pitching decisions, specifically with the bullpen , will be made at the deadline.
EARLIER CUTS: Tigers send six players to minor league camp in fourth round of roster cuts
Detroit Tigers' Justyn-Henry Malloy reacts after being called out on strikes to end the top of the fifth inning against the Houston Astros at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday, March 11, 2024.
The 13 position players on the Opening Day roster: shortstop Javier Báez , outfielder Mark Canha , outfielder Kerry Carpenter , outfielder Riley Greene , infielder Andy Ibáñez , second baseman Colt Keith , catcher Carson Kelly , infielder/outfielder Zach McKinstry , center fielder Parker Meadows , catcher Jake Rogers , first baseman Spencer Torkelson , infielder Gio Urshela , outfielder/infielder Matt Vierling .
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Keith, 22, will be making his MLB debut when he enters a game for the first time in the regular season.
All three players cut from big-league camp will report to Triple-A Toledo to begin the season, with Kreidler serving as the starting shortstop.
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Detroit Tigers shortstop Ryan Kreidler throws out Houston Astros' Chas McCormick during the fifth inning at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday, March 11, 2024.
Kreidler, 26, impressed the Tigers in camp by hitting .355 with two home runs, eight walks and 10 strikeouts across 40 plate appearances, all while meeting expectations with his elite defense. If he keeps hitting in Toledo, the Tigers will eventually find a role for him in the majors, where he played 37 games across the 2022-23 seasons. He is the best defensive infielder in the organization and could cut into Báez's playing time at shortstop at some point in the future.
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Malloy, 24, never fit into the roster plans because of his status as a primary designated hitter who is a below-average defender in the corner outfield positions. He spent all of spring training in left field, playing 77 innings. He hit .238 with three homers, four walks and 12 strikeouts in 46 plate appearances. An injury to a right-handed hitting corner outfielder, specifically Canha, would clear the way for Malloy to be called up for his MLB debut. He will return to Triple-A Toledo, where he received 611 plate appearances last season and hit .277 with 23 home runs, 110 walks and 152 strikeouts across 136 games.
Baddoo, 25, struggled from the beginning to the end. He hit .120 with two walks and 13 strikeouts in 30 plate appearances. All three of his hits were singles. Baddoo, who qualified for Super Two status, is earning $1.55 million in the 2024 season as a first-year arbitration-eligible player, but he isn't likely to get back to the majors unless a left-handed hitting outfielder, such as Parker Meadows , Riley Greene or Kerry Carpenter , lands on the injured list. For the Tigers, Baddoo has hit just .213 with a .302 on-base percentage across 185 games the past two seasons.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold .
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers cut three position players; 13 hitters for Opening Day
