Tigers Recall Scott Sizemore, Option Will Rhymes

Tigers manager Jim Leyland wanted to make it a point to talk about Will Rhymes, the second baseman optioned out to Toledo after tonight’s loss. Rhymes got caught in a numbers game, Leyland said, and no one is blaming Rhymes for the poor offensive output. It just happens to be that there’s a guy hitting .400 in Triple-A and he happens to play second base, so Rhymes has to go.

Part of me agrees with Leyland; as much of a problem that Rhymes’ lack of offense has been, he’s far from the only culprit here. Still, this was a move that needed to be made. If nothing else, at least the Tigers are showing that they are open to trying something to get going again. First, they recall Sizemore, next up, dropping Magglio Ordonez down to seventh in the order? Dare to dream, I know.

There are rumors swirling that Sizemore wasn’t to have been the only recall. Bless You Boys mentioned the possibility of an outfielder coming to Detroit as well. I can only assume this would be Andy Dirks, and if it does happen, I would be shocked, shocked, if it weren’t Austin Jackson getting sent out. Jackson took another 0-for-4 with three strikeouts tonight. As good as his defense is, they just can’t keep running him out there every night. The kid needs a break, a tune-up, a vacation, in Toledo. Go spend some time with the Bull and get right.

The Tigers biggest problem is that there are just so many holes. Consider that Brandon Inge is hitting barely over .200 with a single home run and no one is mentioning his struggles. The fact is that compared to the likes of Jackson, Rhymes, and Ordonez, Inge is having a great year at the plate. That’s a pretty sad statement.

The move to recall Sizemore is a move that needs to be made and hopefully it’s only the first in a series of tough decisions for the Tigers. I won’t be campaigning for a player to be released this time around, but at this point, why not try something else? Ordonez and Jackson aren’t finding ways to break out of it; it’s time to change the formula.

Jon Paul Morosi tweeted this evening that Leyland said he will consider moving Ordonez down in the order once Victor Martinez returns. That’s scheduled for Wednesday, for what it’s worth. I’m not sure why you would consider it on Wednesday, but not Tuesday, but whatever. Martinez or no Martinez, the Tigers cannot protect Miguel Cabrera, so they should be using someone to hit in front of him who can do something with a bat. Right now, Ordonez cannot.

Give Jackson a week in Toledo, give Magglio a break on the DL for a while, or simply drop him in the order. Do it right or do it wrong, but do something. At least the Sizemore move shows that they might be starting to give some serious thought to trying new things. At this point, seven losses deep, that’s the best news I’ve heard in a while.