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Tigers fans calling for demotion of former top prospect as frustrations boil over vs Cubs

Emma Lingan
Emma Lingan

Motor City Bengals

Detroit Tigers v Chicago White Sox / Michael Reaves/GettyImages

On May 14, Detroit Tigers shortstop Trey Sweeney was slashing .265/.333/.720. Since then, he's been mired in a 5-for-48 skid with 16 strikeouts and no extra-base hits.

Sweeney's struggles at the plate have led to a significant reduction in his playing time over the past week. Heading into Saturday's game against the Chicago Cubs, the 25-year-old had started just once in the Tigers' previous four games. But when the Tigers announced their starting lineup for Saturday's contest – which featured Sweeney batting ninth – plenty of disgruntled Tigers fans took to social media to express their frustration.

Admittedly, Sweeney didn't exactly do himself any favors in his first pair of at-bats against the Cubs. He grounded into a double play in the bottom of the third inning, his first time up against starting pitcher Jameson Taillon, and popped up to the first baseman in the fifth inning. He would finish the day going 0-for-2, being replaced by pinch hitter Jahmai Jones in the eighth inning.

Tigers may be prepping for Trey Sweeney demotion as offensive struggles mount

Tigers manager AJ Hinch told reporters, including Chris McCosky of The Detroit News, that the notable decrease in Sweeney's playing time was to allow him time and space to make some adjustments to his swing and plate approach in an effort to get back on track against big league pitching.

In the meantime, utility man Zach McKinstry has been getting more playing time at shortstop, while Javier Báez has returned to playing the infield – seeing time at second, third and shortstop – after center fielder Parker Meadows' return from the IL. Colt Keith is also starting to get some reps at third base, which may be further indication that the Tigers are preparing contingency plans in case of a future demotion for Sweeney.

Despite pleas from fans, the Tigers haven't said or done anything to indicate that Sweeney getting optioned is imminent amid his apparent sophomore slump. If he continues to struggle against Major League pitching, however, the club may not have a choice. But at this rate, it's hard to justify playing time for the former top prospect at the big league level.

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Emma Lingan

Emma Lingan

Emma Lingan is an MLB Staff Writer for FanSided primarily covering the Pittsburgh Pirates. She has been covering baseball for more than a decade dating back to her time as a student at Wake Forest University, and she has won two gold medals as a member of the U.S. National Team delegation (2016 Pan-American Championships & 2017 World Baseball Classic). A native of Washington, D.C. and current resident of Nashville, Tenn., she is also entering her seventh season as a credentialed NHL media member and currently covers the NHL’s Nashville Predators for The Hockey News. When she's not watching hockey, baseball or football, she enjoys podcasting, reading, going to the gym, consuming large amounts of coffee and taking long walks with her dog, Minkah. You can follow her @Emma_lingan on Twitter and Instagram.