Detroit Tigers News Roundup: Max Clark, September call-ups, Meadows' debut, more
It has been a busy week for the Detroit Tigers as they look to the future.
After going 5-5 in their last 10 games, things at the big league level for the Detroit Tigers have reached a sort of homeostasis. However, most of the Tigers news from this week has involved moves that should have big time implications for the future of the franchise.
After a long wait, Parker Meadows finally made his major league debut. In his three games in the big leagues so far, Meadows has three hits including a triple and two walks in 13 plate appearances. Assuming Meadows can hit for the kind of power he showed in the minor leagues, he could be a really valuable addition to a Tigers' roster in desperate need of offense.
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Max Clark has been extremely impressive ever since the Tigers picked him with the third overall selection in the 2023 MLB Draft. After causing havoc down in rookie ball with a .954 OPS, the Tigers decided to be aggressive with Clark and promoted him to full season ball yesterday. Prep bats typically don't move quickly through the minor leagues, but it sure looks like Clark could be one of the exceptions to the rule.
All of this talk of prospects has many wondering which prospects could be making cameo appearances in September. During a discussion of Meadows' promotion to the big leagues, Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris detailed what the Tigers need to see from guys like Colt Keith and Justyn-Henry Malloy before they get their shot in the major leagues. From the sound of things, all they really need is some more defensive reps before we could see them in Detroit.
MLB News
Elsewhere in MLB, the Angels got devastating news yesterday when Shohei Ohtani was removed from his start and it was revealed that Ohtani suffered a UCL tear. Shohei will not pitch the rest of the season and the team is going to have to wait and see if he can still hit the rest of the season or if he will have to have surgery. The hits kept on coming for the Angels as Mike Trout also hit the IL again with issues with his left hand that kept him out for about a quarter of the season already.
In other less than great news, MLB placed Wander Franco on administrative leave while the league investigates allegations made against him on social media. Such a move is not disciplinary and Franco will be paid and accrue service time normally while on administrative leave.
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