LAKELAND, Fla. -- For the second time this Spring Training, the Tigers find themselves having to pivot at third base.
When Alex Bregman signed with the Red Sox on Feb. 15, opportunity opened for Jace Jung to take over the hot corner in Detroit for years to come. He might still become the Tigers¡¯ long-term answer at third, but he won¡¯t be their Opening Day third baseman, having been optioned to Triple-A Toledo on Monday morning.
This time, the pivot gets more complicated.
¡°It¡¯s still going to be a timeshare,¡± manager A.J. Hinch said. ¡°And so you will see [Zach McKinstry] there, you¡¯ll see Andy [Ib¨¢?ez]. Javy [B¨¢ez] will get some time there. And then we¡¯ll see if anybody else factors in.¡±
The move had been coming for a while. Jung seemed to be caught in a vortex after getting off to a slow start in Grapefruit League play: The more he struggled, the more he seemingly pressed and the more he continued to struggle. A home run last Tuesday against the Braves seemed to bring some relief, but it proved temporary.
¡°I felt like I was in a great spot, just wasn¡¯t getting anything to fall,¡± Jung said last week. ¡°It¡¯s one of those things that¡¯s aggravating, but you have to keep grinding.¡±
Jung batted 4-for-33 (.121) in Grapefruit League play, with two doubles, one home run, four walks and 10 strikeouts. Ironically, his defense at third -- which was the biggest question of his game coming into camp -- was improved, though Hinch said he still has work to do there. Hinch tried to give Jung a few games in a row at DH to focus solely on his hitting, but he went 0-for-8 in that stretch.
¡°His timing was off, almost entirely, even the first day,¡± Hinch said. ¡°I know he ambushed a couple balls to the pull side, but he just didn¡¯t make the adjustment timing-wise to make this team.¡±
At one point earlier in the spring, Hinch said it felt like Jung was trying to get two or three hits in one at-bat.
¡°I¡¯m not trying to make up for anything,¡± Jung said last week, ¡°just trying to make the team. Just trying to make changes along the way and hit the ball.¡±
The Tigers could¡¯ve let the situation play out for another week or so until the end of camp. But Hinch has made a point to be more immediate with moves when they¡¯ve made a decision and not string a player along.
¡°Jace, in particular, was very disappointed,¡± Hinch said.
The Tigers, meanwhile, are in the same spot as at the end of last season, mixing and matching at third base. It¡¯s actually tougher now, because Matt Vierling won¡¯t be ready for the start of the season while he works back from a rotator cuff muscle strain in his right shoulder.
McKinstry hasn¡¯t torn it up this spring either, entering Monday 5-for-29 (.172) with no extra-base hits, but he has a track record to lean on in the big leagues, including a strong postseason last year (1.699 OPS in five games). Ib¨¢?ez has been hotter, batting 9-for-32 (.281) with four doubles, one home run and six RBIs.
B¨¢ez getting work at third over the past week is an acknowledgment of both the Tigers¡¯ predicament at third and his tenuous spot at shortstop.
The most intriguing part of Hinch¡¯s summary of the situation at third is arguably the last, the ¡°see who else factors in¡± part. Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris scours the waiver wire and trade markets in Spring Training as much as any Major League executive, looking for potential fits. It¡¯s how they added McKinstry two years ago just before Opening Day.
The Tigers have had their Major League scouts on assignment around camps looking at where other organizations stand. With roster deadlines looming, veterans in other camps on non-roster deals and other clubs deep in infielders, Detroit could well widen its options at third. It wouldn¡¯t be on the scale of a Nolan Arenado trade, but it could bolster the club's matchups.
Beyond that, the Tigers could have a scenario where Jung and Hao-Yu Lee (their No. 7 and No. 8 prospects, respectively) are both at Triple-A vying for a callup -- Lee for his Major League debut, Jung for a comeback. Both play second as well as third, so they should have enough at-bats to go around.
¡°We really believe he¡¯s going to be back with us at some point,¡± Hinch said of Jung. ¡°But it was time for us to make a decision.¡±