Tigers newcomer keys offensive outburst vs. Phillies' lauded trade acquisition

Heading into Wednesday's Grapefruit League matchup against the Philadelphia Phillies, it appeared as if the Detroit Tigers had drawn the short straw.

The Tigers' hitters had the unenviable task of squaring off against Jesús Luzardo, the formidable left-hander who was easily Philadelphia's biggest offseason trade acquisition. Luzardo had been lights out in his Phillies spring debut against the Boston Red Sox the previous week, retiring all six batters he faced in two scoreless innings, so the Tigers were expecting his stuff to be as advertised.

But they were prepared for the task. Detroit's batters humiliated Luzardo in his second outing of the spring, taking him deep three times on three consecutive pitches in the second inning of Wednesday's contest.

Tigers newcomer Jahmai Jones keys offensive outburst vs. Phillies' Jesús Luzardo

The Tigers entered the bottom of the second with no runs on the board. Luzardo surrendered a one-out single to Kerry Carpenter, followed by a walk to Justyn-Henry Malloy. He got Colt Keith to pop out to short but proceeded to give up a single to Jake Rogers, loading the bases with two outs.

Then, it was Jahmai Jones' turn to step up to the plate. Jones, who signed a minor league contract with the Tigers in November, chased the first pitch he saw for a swinging strike before settling in to work the count to 1-2. Luzardo threw a changeup down the middle for his fourth pitch of the at-bat, and Jones proceeded to demolish it 430 feet to left center field for a grand slam.

And that was just the beginning. Andy Ibáñez crushed a first-pitch slider 376 feet, and Gleyber Torres went deep on a first-pitch sinker that went 372 feet. Both homers were also to left-center field.

Jones, a utility player who has spent most of his time in the outfield during spring training, has been solid early in camp. He isn't currently on the Tigers' 40-man roster, but his ability to play the outfield and hit lefties — he had a .925 OPS in just 25 plate appearances against lefties in 2024 — could make him a dark horse candidate to break camp with the team, especially if Parker Meadows starts the year on the injured list.

Jones now has a slash line up to .294/.400/.765 over nine Grapefruit League games for the Tigers. That's how you fight for a big league roster spot.

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