Tigers open 40-man roster spot, promote overlooked top-20 prospect out of nowhere

During spring training, AJ Hinch hinted that No. 22 prospect Trei Cruz could be the Tigers' "answer for anything." A utility man who has spent time at every position except first base and catcher in the minors, Cruz was just the type of player that Detroit loved. If Matt Vierling or Zach McKinstry failed to perform in 2026, Cruz looked like a prime replacement candidate.

They ended up calling him up back in June, after Wenceel Pérez suffered an orbital fracture, but he stayed for just four days and two games, going hitless in five-at bats. The Tigers were quick to replace him with Ben Malgeri.

On Sunday, the Tigers made a drastic decision with Cruz, designating him for assignment after calling up No. 19 prospect Brett Callahan.

Callahan has probably flown under the radar of most Tigers fans as a 13th-round pick in the 2023 draft, but he's slowly but surely worked his way up through the system — and the pipeline. He was promoted to Triple-A on June 23, after hitting .268 with an .878 OPS in Double-A. He's hitting .271 with a .689 OPS in Toledo.

He debuted in the pipeline at No. 29 around midseason and has worked his way up thanks to good performance (and a couple of key graduations and reshuffles).

Tigers DFA Trei Cruz, call up No. 19 outfield prospect Brett Callahan

The Tigers fell out of love with Cruz quickly. During his brief stint in Detroit back in June, he went hitless in five at-bats. It was actually pretty hard not to feel bad for the guy, as his entire family — including his former major leaguer father and grandfather — were in attendance on both days, hoping to see his first hit.

However, the Tigers couldn't afford to be patient back then, not when they were in the middle of a surge. But when Cruz was recalled to replace James Outman on the roster on Tuesday, maybe it meant they were going to give him a second look.

Instead, he rode the bench for two games before being cleared to make room for Callahan.

That's just baseball, but it's a surprising and rather drastic move for the Tigers. They protected Cruz from the Rule 5 draft last year, so they clearly had some hope, and not too long ago, he was going to pan out in the majors.

It's unlikely that they sneak him through waivers given his defensive versatility, but we're still hoping he lands solidly on his feet wherever he ends up next.

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