Tigers shuffle offense with Triple-A call-up while Javy Baez remains in purgatory

The Detroit Tigers enter then waning days of the 2025 season in desperate need of some sort of boost. Winning the AL Central was seen as a formality just a few weeks ago, but that has all changed after a stunning collapse by Detroit, as well as a torrid run from the rival Guardians. While Wednesday's roster move isn't likely to change the Tigers' fortunes much, now is the time to try anything and everything that could work.

While there was some that thought Javy Baez could return to the lineup on Wednesday, that has turned out not to be the case after the latest update.

Instead, Detroit recalled old friend Justyn-Henry Malloy and optioned Jace Jung back to Triple-A Toledo.

Tigers rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic with move to recall Justyn-Henry Malloy and option Jace Jung

It is an unfortunate, but not completely shocking move for Jung. After coming into the season being considered one of the best young hitting prospects in baseball, Jung has only managed a paltry .343 OPS in limited playing time in the big leagues, and his hit tool has been tested, even at Triple-A. One hopes that Jung will take being optioned well and will use it as motivation to get back on the team's radar for 2026.

As for Malloy, he is a familiar face for Tigers fans, as Detroit seems to love rotating him on and off their roster when they need some part-time help. His career 89 wRC+ leaves a lot to be desired, but Malloy has raked down in the minors this year, with a .955 OPS in 72 games of action at Toledo. If he can be that guy, the Tigers would be thrilled, even though that is a huge ask at this point.

At this point, giving Malloy a shot is as good of an option as any the Tigers have available to them. They are currently staring down what looks like a collapse that could alter the trajectory of the team for seasons to come, unless they turn things around literally right now. If they can rally and put together a few wins to close out the season, we can all get back to hoping for a nice little postseason run. Malloy may not be the answer to all of Detroit's problems right now, but he does seem like a good starting point.

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