Detroit Tigers: Travis Demeritte gets big league shot with new team

The Detroit Tigers acquired a group of new prospects on Wednesday at the trade deadline and one of them is getting a chance at proving himself in the big leagues right away.

On August 1st, the Detroit Tigers selected the contract of recently acquired OF Travis Demeritte. Demeritte was one of the two prospects Detroit received when they shipped of closer Shane Greene to Atlanta in a deadline deal. With Nicholas Castellanos sent to the Cubs that same day, it is not a shock that Demeritte has been chosen to fill the open roster spot.

This is not the first time Demeritte has been involved in a trade. The Georgia native was a selection in the first round of the 2013 MLB draft but the Texas Rangers where he originally an infielder. The Rangers dealt him in 2016 to the Braves where he was a part of their minor league teams until Detroit got him.

In his 96 games for Atlanta’s Triple-A affiliate this year, his average was .286 with an on-base percentage of .387. He has also shown some power possibilities with 20 home runs in the season. Demeritte most likely share left field responsibilities with Victor Reyes but has played all over the outfield while apart of the Braves organization.

This will be Demeritte’s first opportunity to play in the majors. Now with the trade deadline in the rearview mirror, Detroit understands their roster for the rest of the season. The Tigers can be more experimental to see if anything else can stick for the seasons to come.

Many fans had mixed reviews for the returns they had for the players Greene and Castellanos, as many thought they would get more popular, higher-ranked prospects. However, Detroit’s decision to send Demeritte straight to the show has to convey some confidence in the young player.

Detroit Tigers fans can expect to see Demeritte make his major league debut in the upcoming series against the team that drafted him, the Texas Rangers. The Tigers are coming off their first series win since late May. Tigers fans should be excited to tune in to watch him, and another young gun, Jake Rogers, as they continue to showcase Detroit’s possible future pieces.