White Sox playing mind games with Tigers after latest roster move

The Tigers have to be feeling pretty good about themselves right now, after winning their series against the Guardians and moving into sole possession of the last American League Wild Card spot, but the White Sox's latest roster move might knock some of the wind of Detroit's sails.

Chris Cotillo of MassLive reported that Chicago had claimed former fan favorite Jake Rogers off of waivers from the Red Sox. Rogers was DFA'ed by Boston on Tuesday to make room for Adley Rutschman coming off the IL.

Bob Nightengale, unhelpful as ever, wrote, "[Rogers] will certainly be a valuable asset in the White Sox advance scouting meetings."

Yeah, thanks for that, Bob.

Tigers fans wanted to see Rogers land on his feet after being DFA'ed, traded, and then DFA'ed again in the span of a few weeks, but it's absolutely diabolical for Chris Getz and the White Sox to make this move just a few hours before the two teams meet in Detroit for what could be a division-flipping series.

There may only be one player who knows the Tigers' pitching staff better, and that's Dillon Dingler. Even that's up for debate, though, given how long Rogers caught some of the players on Detroit's pitching staff.

White Sox claim Jake Rogers just a few hours ahead of huge series vs. Tigers

If Rogers slots into the White Sox's lineup on Friday, Tigers pitchers know they won't have much to be afraid of from a sub.-200 hitter — though even saying that feels like tempting fate, as DFA'ed players sometimes love themselves a revenge game. The real concern, as Nightengale pointed out, is what Rogers might be able to tell White Sox hitters about Detroit's pitching.

This is especially true with Jackson Jobe on the mound for the opener. Jobe has made just one start since coming off the IL and is still a relatively unknown quantity. Although he came off the IL after Rogers was DFA'ed and the two have only formed a battery for one start in Jobe's young career, there's no question Rogers is familiar with his arsenal.

This Tigers team has rallied back from a lot this season. They still played good baseball after Rogers was let go, and they've been playing good baseball since losing two clubhouse leaders in Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize. The offense will hopefully be able to overcome this, too, but it'll certainly be hard for Tigers fans to watch him suit up for not just any other old team, but the one standing directly in Detroit's way in the standings.

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