Jeff Larish to be Designated for Assignment

Just moments after the Tigers latest loss– a 4-2 decision in Tampa, completing a four game sweep for the Rays– the team announced via their twitter account that first baseman Jeff Larish will be DFA’s tomorrow in order to make room on the 40-man (and active) roster for Outfielder Jeff Frazier, who will have his contract purchased from AAA Toledo.

Larish was DFA’d by the Tigers once before, this past offseason, and cleared waivers at that time. If he does so again, he will be returned to the MudHens, from which he came just days ago.

Larish has raw pwer, but hasn’t been productive when given major league opportunities for the Tigers in the past. He was brought back to Detroit on Sunday, theoretically thanks to his ability to play third base, but with the addition of Jhonny Peralta, Larish is no longer necessary.

Frazier will likely get a chance to play right away, as the Tigers would like to give the struggling Brennan Boesch some time off before the pressure of his extended slump grows to be too much for the psyche of the rookie.

Frazier, a former third round draft pick of the Tigers, has seen extensive time at first base for Toledo this season, but is an outfielder by trade. He has clubbed 23 home runs for Toledo this year. His previous career high was 13, which he accomplished for Lakeland in 2006.

At 27, Frazier isn’t much of a prospect and until this season had given no indication he ever would become one. His breakout campaign, along with a rash of Tigers injuries, has given him an opportunity and the Tigers are likely hoping to catch lightning in a bottle, the same way they did with Boesch early in the year. There isn’t much hitting these days in the Tigers lineup, so I’ll bet that Frazier will get more than a handful of at bats to try to provide a much-needed spark to the Tigers order.