Tigers make sudden Jahmai Jones roster move that will have fans split

Jahmai Jones has become the unfortunate scapegoat for all of the Tigers' woes this season. Although it is frustrating that Jones could never turn back into the lefty killer we all knew and loved last year, it wasn't entirely his fault that AJ Hinch kept sending him out in big spots, or that Scott Harris refused to take him off the roster. Still, it was Jones who had to deal with the boos at Comerica Park.

Every young player that has come up since Jones' struggles really started being noticed has been looked at as a potential replacement. Trei Cruz and Ben Malgeri — both righty outfielders (well, Cruz is a switch-hitter) — both seemed like they were auditioning to be Hinch's next favorite platoon or pinch bat.

Malgeri has been getting on base at a great clip, but hasn't exactly been lighting up the offense with his bat. Still, when the Tigers announced they were promoting catcher Eduardo Valencia on Thursday, it wasn't Malgeri — the guy with minor league options — who got the bump. It was Jones.

After a season full of struggle, fans calling for his head and Hinch saying whatever he needed to defend him, the Tigers finally let him go.

Catcher Eduardo Valencia's promotion, Jahmai Jones DFA spells bad news for Dillon Dingler

Valencia is the Tigers' No. 21 prospect this year. He was added to the 40-man roster in the offseason to protect him from the Rule 5 draft along with Cruz and fellow top prospect Thayron Liranzo, among others, which made moving him to the active roster easy enough for Detroit.

Still, letting go of Jones, a player who is clearly beloved in the Tigers' clubhouse, had to have been a tough decision for the front office. Why else would they have taken this long to finally do it?

Valencia has been hitting well in Triple-A — .267 with a .839 OPS, 16 homers, and 49 RBI — but his promotion over an outfielder to replace Jones does seem to hint that bad news is on the way for Dillon Dingler, who was hit in the hand by a foul ball on Wednesday against the Athletics. We might be looking at a Jake Rogers-Valencia battery until the Tigers decide on whether or not Dingler needs an IL stint.

Jones, as maligned as he was this season, did a lot for this club in 2025 and arguably didn't deserve all of the vitriol he faced, but the Tigers did the right thing moving on from him.

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