Finding a place for Max Anderson on Tigers' 2027 roster despite infield bloat

Tigers No. 11 prospect Max Anderson has been making noise in the minors for a while now. Last year, his name came up in both trade and promotion talks; in July, when fans looked down Detroit's pipeline and realized there may not be room for him in a crowded future infield, and then in September, when they were in the middle of losing a 15.5-game lead over the Guardians and were desperate for a spark.

The front office declined to do either. Scott Harris has very, very rarely traded a top-20 prospect, and he's also not keen on rushing his prospects (unless they really force the issue, like Kevin McGonigle did), and Anderson had only been promoted to Triple-A Toledo in early August of last year.

However, he was sent to the Arizona Fall League and hit like a maniac — in a lot of respects, even better than AFL MVP McGonigle. He returned to Toledo to start the season and, despite a month-long IL stint, has been unstoppable.

His batting average has not fallen below .300 since June 27, when he went 5-for-6 with 12 total bases. Two months later, he's hitting .309 with an .894 OPS, 14 homers, 51 RBI, and almost as many walks to strikeouts (43 to 46) on the season.

He might be a September call-up, but how do the Tigers fit him onto the roster next season?

Tigers No. 11 prospect Max Anderson is too good to keep in the minors

A lot can happen over the offseason, but let's assume that all of the core players in this year's offense, barring their singular free agent, move over into next year's. The starters might look something like Spencer Torkelson will be at first, Hao-Yu Lee will be at second, Kevin McGonigle at shortstop, and Colt Keith at third. Knowing AJ Hinch, everything from second to third will be fluid, especially because the Tigers still need to factor Javy Báez in.

However, Gleyber Torres' exit could be the perfect opening for Anderson, who spent time at both second and third base in his minor league career, but is a far more reliable second baseman. The Tigers still haven't really figured out where to put Keith full-time, but he, Anderson, McGonigle, and Lee could all make for a very fluid infield.

This would be the cleanest solution and very well might become a reality in 2027, should Anderson finish the season strong and put on a good show in spring training. His call-up is overdue, but he should have a real opportunity in 2027.

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