3 players who have run out of time with the Detroit Tigers

Detroit Tigers utility man Zack Short needs to be replaced.

The Detroit Tigers traded for Zack Short at the trade deadline in 2020 when they flipped Cameron Maybin to the Chicago Cubs. Short has been a stopgap shortstop, depth infielder, and overall utility man that the Tigers have plugged in wherever they have needed him.

Short has garnered some fan interest, some being big fans of the veteran utility man. But, unfortunately, this is a business. The Tigers may need to move on from Short as there will be better options to fill his role moving forward.

When it comes to Short, things have not exactly been amazing. He's been the run-of-the-mill utility player who has been a plug'n'play infielder as needed. Short's logged 163 games over the last three years for Detroit, with 2023 having the most games played.

Short has logged 96 games played with 202 at-bats under his belt. Short slashed .213/.292/.347 with nine doubles, six home runs, and 30 RBI. He's walked 23 times and struck out 60. He's logged games at second, third, and shortstop, with a few games in the outfield as well.

For the Tigers, Short has been someone the team could plug in to eat up innings or help patrol the infield while Javier Báez gets some rest days on the bench. There are plenty of utility players like this out there, and Detroit needs to realize that they can upgrade.

It's no slight to Short, as he's been here during the rebuild and helped lock things down here and there, but the Tigers can upgrade. Zach McKinstry has been a welcomed addition who might be worth keeping around.

As the season winds down, Andy Ibañez has been swinging it well and is another utility option to keep in mind. As the Tigers head into the off-season, they will have to make some decisions, and it might be time for Short's tenure in Detroit to come to an end.