Tigers News: Minor league coaching staffs, Avisail Garcia retirement, Riley Greene

The Detroit Tigers finalized their minor-league coaching staffs for the 2026 season, installing new managers at three of their top four affiliates—and marking the end of a long organizational run for Andrew Graham.

Graham, 43, did not have his contract renewed after managing Double-A Erie in 2025. An Australian-born catcher drafted by Detroit in 2003, Graham had been with the organization since 2009 and spent the past 14 seasons as a manager across nearly every level of the system, including West Michigan, Lakeland and Erie.

Detroit’s 2026 minor-league managers will be Gabe Alvarez (Triple-A Toledo), Tony Cappuccilli (Double-A Erie), René Rivera (High-A West Michigan), Salvador Paniagua (Low-A Lakeland), Brayan Peña (Florida Complex League), Marco Yepez (DSL 1) and Sandy Acevedo (DSL 2). The staff marks the fifth under assistant GM Ryan Garko and the second under director of player development Shane Farrell.

Among the new assistants is 25-year-old Cole Roberts — son of Dodgers manager Dave Roberts — who will serve as bench coach at High-A West Michigan. Former big leaguer Nick Franklin also joins Double-A Erie as bench coach under Cappuccilli.

Tigers News: Avisail García announces retirement from baseball

Former Detroit outfielder Avisail García announced his retirement Monday, closing the book on a 13-season MLB career that included an All-Star appearance in 2017.

Signed by the Tigers out of Venezuela as a 16-year-old, García rose quietly through Detroit’s system and debuted in 2012, briefly factoring into that pennant run. Tall, powerful, and often (unfairly) compared early to countryman Miguel Cabrera, García showed middle-of-the-order potential before being dealt to the Chicago White Sox in the 2013 three-team Jake Peavy trade — a move that brought José Iglesias to Detroit.

While his best years came elsewhere, García’s career arc started in a Tigers uniform. He finished with more than 1,100 games played, 1,000+ hits, 140 home runs, over $84 million in career earnings, and a lifetime .263/.316/.417 slash line — solid production across a long, winding big-league journey that began in Detroit.

Tigers News: Riley Greene declines invitation to play in World Baseball Classic

Tigers outfielder Riley Greene will not participate in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. He declined an invitation from Team Puerto Rico, per a report from Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press.

Greene had hoped to represent Team USA — as he did as a teenager at the 2018 Pan-American Championships — but did not receive an invite. The 25-year-old, who is eligible for Puerto Rico through his mother, also passed on Team Puerto Rico for the 2023 WBC.

As a result, Greene will spend all of spring training with the Tigers in Lakeland, focusing on Opening Day preparation. Detroit opens the regular season March 26 against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park, and the team's first full-squad workout is scheduled for Feb. 15.