Trei Cruz's surprising return to Tigers might not be the lucky break it seems like

Tigers No. 19 prospect Brett Callahan keeps on rolling. He hit a two-run triple in his first career at-bat, then a two-run single the next day, and then his first career home run the day after that. Meanwhile, the former top prospect Detroit DFA'ed to make room for Callahan made a quiet return to the organization.

Trei Cruz began the year as the Tigers' No. 22 prospect but quietly fell out of the top 30 by midseason. His major league cup of coffee back in June lasted all of four days and two games, and he went hitless in five at-bats. He came back up to the majors when James Outman went onto the IL with a concussion, but didn't play before being DFA'ed.

The Tigers aren't quick to give up on their top prospects, which made their move with Cruz so surprising. Although he went unclaimed on waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A, they may have already written him off — and maybe that's why he wasn't snapped up by any of the 29 other teams he was made available to.

Trei Cruz returns to Tigers after DFA, but we may already know what his future holds

One would think that Cruz's defensive versatility would make him all the more attractive to the rest of the league. AJ Hinch once described him as a potential "answer for anything" given that he's appeared at every position on the field apart from first base and catcher in his minor league career. When the Tigers initially called him up, he looked very much like a Matt Vierling or Zach McKinstry type.

But Cruz's offensive production had already declined in Triple-A before he got his major league debut, and he continued to struggle after he was sent back down. The DFA signaled that the Tigers had fallen out of love with him, and the rest of the league appears to have heeded their warning.

What we might be seeing in Cruz is the makings of a classic Tigers Quad-A player in the vein of Ryan Kreidler, who the Tigers also stuck by for way too long simply because they oftentimes didn't have another option.

Luckily, the Tigers' offense has tightened up. Riley Greene is the only major piece currently on the IL. Hopefully, they won't have to turn to a player they're clearly disenchanted with — and maybe keep trying to unlock Cruz in the minors.

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