Detroit Tigers infielder Ryan Kreidler needs serious bounce back

Detroit Tigers need more out of Ryan Kreidler.

The Detroit Tigers are pushing ahead toward the 2024 season. They have made a few moves this off-season, and the attention is turning to spring ball. The Tigers have not brought any big-league infielders to join the squad, meaning that, as of now, they will rely on depth from within.

It's not all that surprising as the Detroit Tigers have some intriguing names at the top of the list who could end up serving a role with the team this upcoming season. Jace Jung had a huge season in 2023 and is looking to be someone the Tigers could call upon as needed in 2024.

On top of that, they have players like Colt Keith in the mix who are looking for big years that could garner them getting some big-league attention. But they will also look to plug in some of the other recent players with experience.

One of those players is Ryan Kreidler. The 26-year-old shortstop has already logged several stops in Detroit since being drafted in the fourth round of the 2019 Amateur Draft. The UCLA product has already made his debut and has 37 games under his belt. While it may not be much, there's been times where it felt like he was going to play a bigger role.

However, Kreidler's big-league numbers are not ideal whatsoever. Something has to give with Kreidler, and the 2023 season was not pretty. He played in just 11 games at the MLB level, where he slashed .111/.111/.111 with seven strikeouts over 18 at-bats.

While most of his season was spent in Triple-A, Kreidler was not the best over there either. He played in 49 games with the Toledo Mud Hens, slashing .239/.349/.460 with six doubles, 11 home runs, and 42 RBI. Kreidler had 28 walks and 53 punchouts over 176 at-bats.

The numbers last season are not as thrilling as they may seem. The Tigers have put some faith in Kreidler, but, at some point, there will be a problem with the lack of success. Kreidler will have to come out and swing it a bit in 2024.

I'll be quite honest, I was pretty high on Kreidler as little as a year ago. However, the Tigers only gave him 18 at-bats, which did not exactly go well either. It's a bit worrisome moving forward. The Tigers are going to have to expect more from Kreidler moving forward.

Something has to give. If not, Kreidler is soon going to become nothing more than a depth infielder with some defensive versatility and upside to be an extra glove to call up as needed. But the bat has yet to come around, and Detroit has to see something more to see much value from Kreidler.