Tigers must wait for right moment to call up Spring Breakout prospect

The return from Scott Harris' very first trade as the Tigers' President of Baseball Operations has been making waves in spring training ... well, at least until Wednesday when the player in question was reassigned to minor league camp.

Hao-Yu Lee, then the Phillies' No. 5 prospect and now the Tigers' No. 8, came over in the 1-for-1 trade deadline deal that sent Michael Lorenzen to Philadelphia in 2023. Lee was only in High-A at the time, so at least two years away from his major league debut, but he's due for a promotion to Triple-A this season.

Lee was at Joker Marchant with the major league club as a non-roster invitee, but was sent back to minor league camp on Wednesday afternoon. His NRI status never guaranteed him a spot on the Opening Day roster, but the Tigers clearly wanted to get a taste of what he could do against major league pitching, even though he's only hit .143 with a .488 OPS through 12 games.

If Lee can heat up and make an impression during the Tigers' Spring Breakout exhibition against the Braves, there may be a world in which the Tigers speed him through Triple-A in the first few months of the season and then call him up to the majors to take over at third base if Jace Jung can't hack it.

Tigers trade steal Hao-Yu Lee could be an option for third base after Detroit missed on Alex Bregman

Lee may not be a perfect defensive option for third base — he's spent far more time at second base in his professional career and his fielding isn't outstanding as it is — but second base will be covered by Gleyber Torres throughout the season, and Lee's bat could give the lineup a little extra pop. He had a .298 average and .488 slugging in Double-A last year, with 12 homers and 56 RBI.

The Tigers don't seem totally sold on Jung at third anyway. With Matt Vierling's injury, it's more likely than not Jung will be their Opening Day third baseman, but Lee has a chance here to put himself on the map and play understudy.

The club will definitely want to see what he's capable of in Triple-A, and they didn't even let Jackson Jobe completely skip it last year before his call-up. If Lee can get hot at the right time, especially if Jung is struggling, then they could make a swap and give Lee some time to prove that he should be the Tigers' regular second baseman next year.