Tigers News: Akil Baddoo injury, ABS challenge system, Tarik Skubal’s Nike deal

Detroit Tigers outfielder Akil Baddoo's arduous journey back to the big leagues just became all the more challenging.

Baddoo, who wasn't projected to make the Tigers' Major League roster out of camp to begin with, will now miss the start of the 2025 season after fracturing his right hand and undergoing surgery Thursday during the first week of spring training.

A Rule-5 Draft pick in 2020, Baddoo owns a career .226 batting average with 28 home runs across 340 games over four seasons with the Tigers. His best season came as a rookie in 2021, when he hit .259 with 13 homers and a .766 OPS over 124 games.

The Tigers designated Baddoo for assignment in December to make room on the 40-man roster for Alex Cobb. He was outrighted to Triple-A Toledo when he wasn't claimed off waivers by any of the other 29 teams and was attending spring training as a non-roster invitee.

Tigers to use ABS challenge system in spring training games

According to Jesse Rogers of ESPN, the Tigers are one of the 13 teams who will implement an automated ball-strike (ABS) challenge system during their spring training games this year.

The rules of the system are as follows:

• During the spring, each team will be given two challenges per game and will retain successful challenges.

• Only the batter, catcher or pitcher can initiate a challenge, which must happen immediately after the umpire's call. The player must quickly tap his hat or helmet to indicate a challenge.

• The results of the challenge will be displayed on the scoreboard and television broadcast to communicate whether a call was overturned or not.

MLB is testing out the system at the big league level for the first time after years of experimenting in the minor leagues. Additionally, all Triple-A teams will implement the challenge system during the 2025 regular season to give MLB more data before a decision is made about introducing ABS at the Major League level in 2026.

Tigers ace Tarik Skubal signs endorsement deal with Nike

Per a report from Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal signed an endorsement deal with Nike in mid-January. The exact details of the deal remain unknown, but Skubal now joins a select group of Major League pitchers who wear a Nike Shado Elite J glove.

Tigers pitchers Jackson Jobe and Matt Manning also have glove deals with Nike, as do other MLB pitchers including Corbin Burnes (Arizona Diamondbacks), Walker Buehler (Boston Red Sox), Garrett Crochet (Red Sox), Lance McCullers Jr. (Houston Astros) and Spencer Strider (Atlanta Braves).

Skubal told Petzold he wasn't actively seeking endorsement when he signed on with Nike; rather, his agent, Scott Boras, approached him with the offer and negotiated the deal for him. Nike sent Skubal a stock Shado Elite J glove to test during the offseason and spring training after he signed the endorsement. Then, he got a customized glove for the regular season.

"I like it, but it's not the right size yet," Skubal said (via Petzold). "So I'll probably throw with this (Rawlings glove) until I get my new ones in, and then I'll switch over."

Break that baby in, Tarik.

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