Detroit Tigers: Who Leaves When J.D. Martinez Returns?

As the Detroit Tigers season progresses, the return of J.D. Martinez is on the horizon.

The Detroit Tigers All-Star, Silver-Slugger-winning right fielder has already been taking batting practice as his return looms large.

There is no doubt that he will return to HIS spot on the field and in the lineup. When he is removed from the Disabled List, someone has to leave the 25-man roster. Who will it be?

Even though the expected day of his return has yet to be announced, this is a question that will need to be answered. Right now, the Tigers have a large collection of outfielders who have been performing *relatively* well in the first few series. The outfielders include Andrew Romine, Tyler Collins, JaCoby Jones, and Mikie Mahtook.

Whoever remains will most likely spend some time platooning with Martinez and with centerfield. Martinez’s injury to his right mid-foot Lisfranc ligament. This is a tough injury to heal, so Martinez’s workouts have been limited. Once he has been given the ok to return to playing, it is likely that he will have to spend some time training in the minor league system. This extended rehab will give the Tigers more time to evaluate players and make a decision about who will remain in Detroit and who will go to Toledo.

Along with Andrew Romine, Tyler Collins seems to have cemented his position on the 25-man roster. After his rocky start in 2016, he has come back to prove that he is a player who can manage the immense outfield in Detroit and make an impact at the plate.

Having played in 12 of 15 games, he has shown that he is more than just a bench player. His current batting average is .262 and his OPS is .612. He has one home run. Up until a few days ago,

Collins had an eight-game hitting streak. Due to his consistency at the plate and his ability in the field, he has been Martinez’s full-time sub in right. In 86.2 innings of play in right field, he has committed only one error and it occurred early in the season at the Tigers home opener on April 7.

In 2016, Collins spent the majority of his time in center field. He played in 29 games and 207 innings and committed one error while in center field, and like his error in 2017, it was early in the season. With numbers like these, it is safe to say that he will remain in Detroit when Martinez returns.

His left-handed bat is also a desirable commodity in Detroit. Other than a few pitchers, Collins is the only true left-handed player on the team. Andrew Romine and Victor Martinez are right-handed, but can both bat left. Collins batting And, the fact that Collins can no longer be moved back and forth to Toledo because he is out of options is another reason why he will stay.

If Romine and Collins are going to be 25-man roster fixtures, this puts Jones’s spot on the roster in question. Unlike Collins, Jones does have options available, so he could be moved to Toledo without worrying about other teams snapping him up.

Unfortunately, Jones has not been playing as cleanly as both Romine and Collins. He fought hard in spring training to earn a spot on the 25-man roster, but his youth and inexperience are beginning to show up. His batting average has yet to rise about .250 and it is currently sitting at an ugly .182 with an OPS of .634. Jones came out big in the first game of the season with a home run on his first at-bat, but he’s been limited to only 5 more hits since that day.

His fielding has also looked like that of a rookie lately, too. In Wednesday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays, he called a catch in the first inning, only to see it fall to the turf. Although the Tigers blame Rays’ fans on the issues that caused a pair of dropped fly balls, they were still dropped. Jones also had the chance to rob a home run it by Daniel Robertson by making a jumping catch. Again, this is an issue that can be attributed to youth.

Will these weaknesses affect the front office’s decision when J.D. Martinez returns? There is a possibility. Even though it still could be a few weeks before Martinez returns, Jones needs to put on his best performances at the plate and on the field.

The last outfielder in the platoon system is Mikie Mahtook. Like JaCoby Jones, Mahtook has not spent much time in the Major Leagues. Unlike Jones and the other two players in this list, Mahtook has not had much playing time at all. In fact, he has only had four complete games. In his 17 plate appearances, he has a .133/.235/.200 slash with an OPS of .435. He is one of very few Tigers who has yet to hit a home run along with Victor Martinez and Dixon Machado.

Despite his small amount of playing time, he has made an impact. On April 7 against the Boston Red Sox, he came in as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning and hit a double that scored the tying run. Other than that, he crossed home plate once, after being hit by a pitch and later batted in.

In the few games that Mahtook has appeared, he has spent the majority of his time in right field. While he is quick in the corners of the outfield, he has yet to be tested in the sprawl that is the center field at Comerica Park. But, when Martinez returns, Collins and Romine both can take good care of the corners and center. And so can Jones.

Because of his limited playing time in these early games and the fact that he could be sent to Toledo is a plus for the Tigers. Mahtook is on a one-year contract and he has yet to enter into arbitration. If I were to make a bet on who is going to Toledo, my money would be on Mahtook.

Next: Two Closing Candidates Besides K-Rod

No matter what happens when J.D. Martinez returns, these players have done well in their newly acquired positions.