DETROIT – Who should the Detroit Tigers demote to make room for Andy Ibanez as he returns from injury?
Ibanez has been out since April 7, when he injured his hamstring during a game against the Athletics. He’s expected to return to the roster early this week, perhaps even Monday, as the Tigers begin a home series against the Cardinals.
4 candidates for demotion
Wenceel Perez was called up on April 8 to replace Ibanez, and the 24-year-old rookie has been one of the team’s best hitters in the three weeks since, going 10-for-35 with four extra-base hits and a .359 on-base percentage.
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The Tigers also called up Buddy Kennedy on April 20, when third baseman Gio Urshela was placed on the injured list with a hamstring issue.
Kennedy is 2-for-10 with a homer, two walks, four strikeouts, and a steal in six games.
Perez and Kennedy have both performed well for the Tigers since joining the roster. Meanwhile, a couple of the team’s everyday regulars continue to struggle.
Rookie Colt Keith has the worst OPS (.404) on the roster. He’s batting .161 with one double and no other extra-base hits.
As bad as the surface numbers look, Keith hasn’t been overpowered by MLB pitching. His strikeout, whiff, chase, and walk rates are all average to above-average. And he’s actually been very unlucky so far, with an expected batting average (.245) a full 84 points higher than his actual average (.161).
But Keith isn’t impacting the ball like the Tigers expected when they signed him to a massive contract extension in the offseason. He ranks in the 17th percentile in hard-hit rate and 37th percentile with an 88.1 mph average exit velocity.
Keith is rolling over weakly to the right side of the infield far too often, and as the slump continues, his defense has started to suffer at second base.
The Tigers obviously aren’t going to give up on a 22-year-old with Keith’s track record, but it might not be a bad idea to give him a break from the daily beating at the hands of MLB pitchers.
Keith will be fine in the long run, but a few weeks of minor-league pitching could help him get back on track.
The same could be said for Detroit’s second-worst hitter so far: Parker Meadows.
Meadows is hitting .091 this season with strikeouts in 38.7% of his plate appearances. He’s drawing walks at a high rate, but the quality of contact is abysmal.
The major difference between Meadows and Keith is that Meadows is so elite in the outfield and on the base paths that he’s still a net positive player.
But if a trip to the minors could kickstart his bat, would it be worth losing his glove for a few weeks? That’s a difficult call because an offensive resurgence is no sure thing.
Who should get sent down?
Based on recent performance, I don’t think there’s any chance Perez is the odd man out. He’s been a staple at the heart of the Tigers lineup, batting second on April 23 and third in three of the four games since.
I also think Meadows is pretty safe. Sure, Perez could play more corner outfield and bump Riley Greene or Matt Vierling to center field on a more regular basis, but the Tigers would have to sacrifice a lot of defense and potentially put Greene at an increased risk for injury.
That leaves Kennedy and Keith.
My guess is Kennedy will be the one heading back down to Toledo. Even though he’s put together some solid at-bats and come through with a couple of big hits since getting the call, Kennedy’s role as a righty third baseman is most easily replaced by Ibanez.
If Keith is still struggling when Urshela returns, I could see Ibanez getting some run at second base if the Tigers want to send Keith down. But for now, Keith’s numbers actually look a lot worse than they should, and the Tigers are invested in him long-term.
This is a great problem for the Tigers. They have too many players who deserve spots on MLB rosters. There will inevitably be more injuries this season, so whoever is sent down for Ibanez will get another shot.