Detroit Tigers Outfielder Could Force His Call-Up Sooner Rather Than Later

The Detroit Tigers have tons of young talent in their farm system, and one of their outfielders showed flashes of elite talent on Opening Day in Triple-A.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Justyn-Henry Malloy bats against Philadelphia Phillies during the fourth inning of a Grapefruit League game at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Detroit Tigers have had a hit-or-miss start to the year with an 0-2 record against the Los Angeles Dodgers despite showing good things at times on both sides of the ball.

With nine runs scored in those two losses, their winless start has not been due to a lack of total offense, but more so an inconsistency to produce runs and an inability for the pitching staff to hold up down the stretch.

Since the team relies heavily on young players, these tough results can be expected against a juggernaut like the Dodgers.

How everything is pieced together throughout the year will be seen since their farm system is also bursting at the seams with quality players.

One of the players who got a chance in 2024 before being moved to Triple-A Toledo to start 2025 is outfielder Justyn Henry-Malloy.

After 71 games at the MLB level last season, he put together a less-than-optimal stat line which did not help his case by slashing .203/.291/.366 with eight home runs, 21 RBI and 85 strikeouts to 23 walks.

After a difficult first experience in the bigs, he will spend some time working his way back up from Triple-A, and he started that campaign off well on Opening Day.

In the first game of the year, he had four plate appearances, accruing two hits, one walk, one homer, two runs, an RBI and a strikeout.

Ultimately, the Toledo Mud Hens lost by a score of 8-5, but Malloy was exceptional offensively while also having six putouts in the field with no errors.

Given the Tigers' weakness in the outfield due to injuries to Parker Meadows, Wenceel Pérez and Matt Vierling, the depth is short at that position.

With Manuel Margot being signed, that held Malloy out of the lineup at the Majors.

However, if production in the outfield wanes for a significant period of time, things could change on the roster with Malloy being a potential first call up if he still produces at a high rate on the farm.

Meadows being put on the 60-day injured list leaves the team in a tough position long term, so it will be intriguing to see how they handle this closer to the halfway point of the season.

Malloy will need time to improve his game at Triple-A Toledo, but if he can continue to turn this one game into a stretch of strong performances, it will be hard to justify not putting him on the MLB roster sooner rather than later.