See squirrel wreak havoc at Comerica Park
A black squirrel ran onto the field during the Tigers, Orioles game at Comerica Park.
Detroit — Talk about mixed emotions.
The Tigers on Tuesday joyfully welcomed Javier Báez back to the active roster and tearfully said goodbye to Jake Rogers.
“We were all holding back tears last night,” first baseman Spencer Torkelson said. “It hurts. Jake was a big piece of this team for a long time. He helped create our identity. Talk about a guy who showed up each and every day as the same guy. It hurts.”
Rogers, 31, acquired in 2017 in a trade for Justin Verlander, debuted in 2019. He was the second-longest tenured Tiger after Wenceel Perez. But to clear a spot on both the active roster and 40-man roster for Báez, he was designated for assignment.
“It’s tough,” manager AJ Hinch said. “I love Jake. He’s been here as long as I’ve been here.”
Hinch and president Scott Harris delivered the news to Rogers after the game Monday night.
“We did everything from walking down memory lane to just explaining the timing and how the decision got made,” Hinch said.
The decision had more to do with the emergence of rookie catcher Eduardo Valencia than it did Rogers’ struggles at the plate this season.
“We’ve been consistent with giving opportunity when we feel like it’s been earned,” Hinch said. “And we love what Valencia did when he was up here (5 for 12, two homers in six games earlier this month). We’re trying to maximize that roster spot the best we can. Jake admitted himself that it hadn’t been an easy road for him performance-wise. We needed to make a call.”
Rogers, who hit 21 homers in 2023 and was the team’s starting catcher in 2024, catching every one of Tarik Skubal’s starts in his first Cy Young campaign, was playing sparingly behind All-Star Dillon Dingler and hitting .161 with a .567 OPS.
“Two things can exist at the same time,” Hinch said. “We can be super thankful and enjoy the time we had with Jake. But also make the decision to help us take a step forward and use that spot in a better way. Both personally and professionally, I told Jake I Iove him. He’s been a big part of the personality of this team and this organization. He’s going to land on his feet.”
The Tigers will likely work to find a trade partner for Rogers before he gets to the waiver wire.
“It’s a business,” Torkelson said. “Jake was definitely beat up (by the news), but he’s a pro. He’s a pro about everything.”
On the other side of the spectrum, Hinch said the clubhouse lit up when Báez walked in yesterday.
“The players were excited, the staff was excited,” Hinch said. “Javy brings so much energy and passion and vibe. Everything you want from a veteran player.”
Báez, 33, hasn’t played since severely spraining his ankle ducking and half-sliding trying to avoid a tag at first base in the Tigers’ 5-2 loss at Atlanta on April 28.
“I try not to think about it, honestly,” he said of the play. “I understand what happened. My left leg wasn’t stable on the bag and I wasn’t able to hold my ground and I kind of rolled over. I was surprised it wasn’t fractured. That’s what I was really worried about.”
It was a high-ankle sprain, and the recovery process was slow.
“I was trying to get back as soon as possible,” he said. “Some days I would be feeling really good, and when I tried to put a little extra pressure on my ankle, it wasn’t ready yet. It was really tough to not be able to be out there with the team. Even just being in the clubhouse, if I am around, I know I can help a lot of these guys in here.”
He had to shut down from baseball activity for a stretch last month, but he’s been on a fast track back the last two weeks. He made two rehab starts at Low-A Lakeland before being transferred to Triple-A Toledo over the weekend.
All he did there was go 5-for-8 with three doubles in two games, playing six innings at shortstop and six innings in center field.
“I told AJ I wasn’t trying to go on the road with the Triple-A team,” Báez said of the Mud Hens’ upcoming trip to Columbus.
With the Tigers taking a three-game losing streak into the game against the Orioles on Tuesday, it’s a good time to add a jolt of El Mago. He started in center field, which is where he’s going to get a lot of playing time, which means center fielder James Outman will be used more as a defensive replacement in the late innings.
“James has been a big part of our defensive improvement the last couple of months,” Hinch said. “We are going to continue to use his strengths. We’ll see how the playing time gets divvied up.”
Hinch said Colt Keith’s defensive improvement at third base has allowed him to keep Kevin McGonigle at shortstop with Gleyber Torres at second. That opens up center field, right field and the designated hitter spot, especially with Kerry Carpenter on the injured list (plantar fasciitis) to mix and match with Báez, Outman, Matt Vierling, Zach McKinstry and Ben Malgeri.
“I’m just really excited to be back,” Báez said. “I just love being out there. Especially with next year (a possible work stoppage), we don’t know what’s going to happen with the league and the game. I was just trying to be out here and have fun and help the team.”
Tigers vs. Orioles
▶ First pitch: 1:10 p.m. Wednesday, Comerica Park, Detroit
▶ TV/radio: Detroit Sports Net/97.1 FM
Scouting report
▶ LHP Trevor Rogers (6-7, 4.17), Orioles: The Tigers beat him at Camden Yards on May 23, but he has been on a heater. The Orioles are 5-2 in his last seven starts and he’s allowed just seven earned runs in 43.2 innings (1.44 ERA). In that stretch, he blanked the Dodgers on one hit over seven innings, allowed a run in six innings to the Cubs, beat the Astros in Houston (one run, 6.1 innings) and limited the Braves to two runs in seven innings. From a funky, 23-degree arm angle, he throws changeups, sweepers, sinkers and cutters off a 93-94 mph four-seamer and he’s got a 34.7% chase rate.
▶ LHP Tarik Skubal (7-5, 2.70), Tigers: His 12-strikeout performance against the Royals on Friday left him one strikeout short of 1,000 for his career. If this is his final start as a Tiger, he’s goinag to leave behind quite a legacy. Two Cy Young awards, two playoff runs, a pitching triple crown, a 61-42 record (34-17 at Comerica Park), 3.04 ERA, 1.014 WHIP, 29% strikeout rate and a 5.4% walk rate. It’ll be a while before we see the likes of him again.
@cmccosky
