Detroit Tigers to take a chance on Johan Camargo; continue roster shuffle

Detroit Tigers conitnue shuffling depth, add-in Johan Camargo.

Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Johan Camargo (7) rounds the bases.
Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Johan Camargo (7) rounds the bases. / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Detroit Tigers continue shuffling the deck; add in Johan Camargo.

The Detroit Tigers have made it a point to start combing through the organization and purging things. They have done a good job finding ways to do what they can to add in meaningful players, or at least just take chances on some minor leaguers to see if it works out.

One of the big things that Scott Harris has done is a bit of cleaning up and tidying throughout the levels of the organization. The Detroit Tigers continue to make a flurry of moves, shuffling around their depth, including parting ways with some of the newer guys that Harris had brought in.

The point is that the roster shuffling continues as Harris tries to stack some depth and "hit" on a few guys, aiming to find that diamond in the rough. Maybe it's just overanalyzing on my part, but it feels like Harris is playing the waiver wire lottery or bringing in players to serve in-depth roles, swapping out others far more frequently than Al Avila did.

For right or for wrong, Harris has undoubtedly been taking chances on these players. The latest move was the decision to sign infielder Johan Camargo to a minor-league contract, bringing him in to join the Tigers organization and head to Triple-A Toledo.

The team opted to move on from Brendon Davis, rolling the dice with Camargo, a switch-hitting infielder who made his way to the big leagues with the Atlanta Braves organization. He certainly had some upside back when he came to the big leagues, and the Tigers are seemingly hoping they can squeeze some value out of him.

The now 29-year-old infielder was kicking around with the Kansas City Royals organization and was released on June 15th before being picked up by the Tigers. He was stationed with the Royals Triple-A squad in Omaha.

In 15 games this season at the Triple-A level, Camargo has slashed .298/.412/.544 with two doubles, four home runs, and 8 RBI. He's both walked and struck out 11 times over 57 at-bats. The Tigers will see if he can tap into that while with Toledo.

If Camargo can work at-bats and do a good job controlling the strike zone, it will work out well. After all, that's one of the Scott Harris pillars that he has spoken about in the past. The Tigers may not have him on the 40-man roster, but he will come into the organization and look to provide whatever value he can.

His last stint in the big leagues came in 2022, playing in 52 games, slashing .237/.297/.316 with 15 RBI and 13 walks to 37 punchouts. Room to improve, but he was fine in the role the Phillies called upon him for.

The Tigers may not need him right this second, but a good showing in Triple-A could allow them to lean on him if a 40-man spot were to open up.

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