Prior to the start of a three-game series against the hottest team in baseball in the last 15 years, the Detroit Tigers announced a small roster change involving a very familiar name. Outfielder Tyler Collins is back with the team.
The Tigers today have purchased the contract of OF Tyler Collins from Triple A Toledo.
— Tigers PR (@DetroitTigersPR) September 11, 2017
Note that Collins is having his contract “purchased” by the club, meaning that he is being put back on the 40-man roster. He was designated for assignment by the ball club back in late May after cracking the Opening Day roster with the Tigers for a second consecutive season.
Collins in 40 games with the Tigers before being DFA’d hit .200 with a .626 OPS. He went just 7-for-65 (.108 BA) with 35 strikeouts in the month of May alone, eventually leading to the roster move. After clearing waivers, Collins accepted an assignment back to the minors.
After being sent back down to Triple-A Toledo, Collins started off slow but really finished strong late in the season, finishing with perhaps his best offensive year in the minors. Tyler in 74 games with the Mud Hens produced a .288 BA and .820 OPS, with nine homers and 46 runs batted in.
Collins has really struggled to maintain a spot with the big league club since the beginning of the 2016 season, after putting together a very nice audition down the stretch in 2015. He hit rock bottom when he flipped off the Tigers faithful at Comerica Park in a late April game last season.
Tyler was very remorseful of his immature, reactionary decision and has earned second chances afterwards, but unfortunately has not been able to cash in enough.
The promotion of Collins is by and large due to Tigers outfielder Mikie Mahtook still not being 100 percent. Mahtook was scratched prior to Saturday’s middle game of a three-game weekend series in Toronto with left groin tightness.
Mahtook is not in the lineup again for the Tigers on Monday against the Cleveland Indians, while the recently-recalled Tyler Collins is, playing left field and batting seventh.
Tigers lineup for Monday, 9/11 at CLE. Jaye vs. Carrasco. First pitch at 7:10 on FSD/97.1 The Ticket. pic.twitter.com/yxrtzMis7j
— Tigers PR (@DetroitTigersPR) September 11, 2017
To make room for Collins on the 40-man roster, the Tigers have given RHP Arcenio León his unconditional release.
— Tigers PR (@DetroitTigersPR) September 11, 2017
Reliever Arcenio Leon was promoted from the minors back in late May and appeared in just six games with the Tigers, the first of which was his major league debut. Leon allowed nine runs on seven hits in 6.2 innings of work.
The overall numbers for Leon down in Toledo won’t do him much justice. In 26 games, he finished with a 5.24 ERA. But that’s severely inflated do to an ERA north of 15.00 over his final ten appearances of the season.