Detroit Tigers Place James McCann on DL: Analyzing the Impact

Detroit Tigers catcher James McCann was placed on the disabled list on Tuesday. The team announced the move via Twitter. The Tigers also announced that catcher Bobby Wilson’s contract has been selected.

Detroit Tigers spring training ended with relatively few injuries. Cameron Maybin, Blaine Hardy and Alex Wilson were injured, but the presence of players like Anthony Gose, Drew VerHagen and Mark Lowe lessened the blow of losing the trio.

However, another injury has befallen the Tigers. Starting catcher James McCann went down with a sprained ankle in Monday’s contest.

McCann collided with Pittsburgh first baseman John Jaso while trying to beat out a grounder. Backup Jarrod Saltalamacchia replaced him and struck out in two at-bats.

While his at-bats weren’t as successful on Monday, Saltalamacchia will replace McCann moving forward. In a perfect world, Detroit would have turned to Bryan Holaday. However, the now-former Tiger was out of minor league options and was dealt to Texas. 

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As part of the deal Detroit acquired fellow catcher Bobby Wilson. Wilson, a seven-year veteran, will serve as Salty’s backup.

In his seven years in the big leagues, Wilson is a career .204 hitter. The backstop is better known for his defense, but still collected 10 RBI in 31 games for the Rangers last season.

More Playing Time for Salty

When he was first signed, Jarrod Saltalamacchia looked to be one of the better offseason additions made across Major League Baseball. The former Marlin could start for a number of team’s around the league, and the fact that he came on to be McCann’s backup gave Detroit one of the better catching tandems in baseball.

Per the Detroit Free Press’ Anthony Fenech, who was quoting manager Brad Ausmus, McCann will be out “2-4 weeks.” 

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This will give Salty plenty of time get some at-bats in.

If his start against the Marlins earlier in the season was any indication, Saltalamacchia will be a valuable bench cog and pinch-hitting threat for the Tigers this season. In other words, he’ll fit right in with Miguel Cabrera, J.D. Martinez, Justin Upton and all the other sluggers in the Detroit batting order. If McCann weren’t on this team, Salty could probably go for 20 home runs and 70 RBI as a full-time starter.

What’s more, the veteran catcher has brought it on defense. He nabbed Dee Gordon trying to steal second in Miami, and threw out Andrew McCutchen during Tuesday’s game.

It is probably safe to say that he isn’t just an offensive catcher.

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In Conclusion

Wilson won’t play a ton, but he’ll give the Tigers some added depth and another solid defensive presence behind the dish. With Salty and Wilson, the Detroit Tigers should be more than set up for the handful of weeks that James McCann will miss.