Detroit Tigers take flier on Nick Solak as depth moves continue

Detroit Tigers claim infielder Nick Solak.

The Detroit Tigers have been scrambling to add depth pieces when it comes to their farm system. One of the things that they have been doing is shuffling things around. First, they made a few cuts, releasing Jace Fry and Jermaine Palacios.

After that, the Detroit Tigers picked up Joe Rizzo from the Miami Marlins in a deal where the Tigers sent "cash considerations" back to the Marlins. When it comes to the Tigers' new philosophy under Scott Harris, it comes down to adding depth and finding players who may have value that the team can squeeze out of them.

The latest move came when the team brought Nick Solak in a waiver claim when the Braves opted to move on from him. Solak is listed as a second baseman, third baseman, and left fielder who will join the Tigers Triple-A squad in Toledo after being optioned.

Solak is one of those players who had his 5 seconds of fame. He's a former New York Yankees second-round pick from the Louisville in 2016 MLB Draft. He broke into the league with the Texas Rangers and was a serviceable player. In his lengthiest big league performance, Solak slashed .242/.314/.362 with 18 doubles, two triples, and 11 home runs over 511 plate appearances in 2021.

In 2022, Solak would only play in 35 games, struggling to find that level of performance he showed in 2021. He slashed .207/.309/.329 over 95 plate appearances. In 2023, he notched just one game with the Braves organization.

The Tigers are taking a flier on the 28-year-old bat, hoping that he can provide some depth in the minors and possibly be someone to call upon. Considering some of the other players that the Tigers have taken a chance on, Solak at least has some upside, and it's someone who makes sense, being able to see why there may have been some intrigue.

He's going to head to Triple-A, likely to fill a void left by Fry and Palacios as he looks to try and tap into some success. Solak's shown the ability to drive the ball with some juice when things are working well, and he works counts, finding ways on base via the walk as well.

He fits the build of a "control the strike zone" player that Scott Harris had mentioned in the past. It will be interesting to see if anything comes of this move to grab Solak and take a chance on him.