Tigers to call up recently acquired prospect Jeimer Candelario

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Detroit Tigers
Mar 29, 2015; Clearwater, FL, USA; A general view of a Detroit Tigers hat, glove and sunglasses in the dugout against the Philadelphia Phillies at Bright House Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Detroit Tigers announced on Sunday during their series finale against the Baltimore Orioles that shortstop Jose Iglesias has been placed on the bereavement list. MLB rules on the list means Iglesias will miss a minimum of three games and a maximum of seven.

The team did not make announce corresponding move on Sunday, because said play would not have been able to make it to Baltimore in time. However, such a move will be made prior to their Monday night game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

And the club confirmed Sunday evening that recently acquired prospect Jeimer Candelario is the player who will be getting the call-up.

Candelario, 23, at some point over the next 3-7 days will make his Tigers debut after being acquired from the Chicago Cubs last Monday before the trade deadline, along with fellow prospect Isaac Paredes, in exchange for reliever Justin Wilson and catcher Alex Avila.

The Tigers’ new No. 3 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, is playing in just his sixth game on Sunday for the Toledo Mud Hens since switching teams. After collecting a pair of hits in each of his first two games, Candelario has hit a mini rough patch over the last four.

Jeimer is just 5-for-25 as a member of the Tigers’ Triple-A affiliate, but he’s made most of his hits count. Three of his hits have been good for extra bases so far, including a home run in his team debut on Wednesday.

The consensus seems to be that Candelario is a budding everyday player in the big leagues. He’s had two very brief stints (16 total games) with the Chicago Cubs over the last two seasons, including 11 games this year. He’s just 6-for-44 in those big league appearances, but he did club his first major league homer earlier this year.

By not promoting a middle infielder from Toledo, it seems that some combination of Dixon Machado and Andrew Romine will assume to starting role at shortstop in Iglesias’ absence.

It should be interesting to see where Candelario fits into the picture with the Tigers beginning tomorrow in Pittsburgh. The switch-hitting corner infielder could pick up a start and spell Nick Castellanos at third base. Castellanos has not had a day off since late May when he had two consecutive days off.

First baseman Miguel Cabrera received a day off on Sunday in Baltimore, while designated hitter Victor Martinez earned some rest back on August 1 this past week. The latter will likely not be starting each of the next two days, as the Tigers play in a National League ballpark, so he and Candelario will be prime options for pinch-hitting duties late in the game.