Tigers Steal Veteran Former All-Star from Yankees to Bolster Infield Depth
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The Detroit Tigers have made some headlines with a Tuesday morning signing which will help to bolster their infield depth and potentially place a former All-Star into the fold.
As first reported by Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Detroit signed Paul DeJong -- who had been on a minor league deal with the New York Yankees that he opted out of this week -- to a new minor league deal to start him in Triple-A Toledo.
Given the injuries the Tigers are dealing with in the infield at the Major League level to guys like Javier Baez and Gleyber Torres, adding experienced MLB players this makes a lot of sense and DeJong will likely be on the big league roster soon.
Even more exciting is the fact that with Triple-A Scranton this season, he has found an impressive level of power the likes of which has not been seen from him in years.
Tigers Signing DeJong Amid Powerful Streak
Through 23 games in Triple-A, DeJong has not exactly blown anyone away with the way he's hitting the ball with an average just above .200, but he is getting on base at a high-rate and crushing the ball.
With an overall slash line of .203/.361/.516, DeJong has clubbed six home runs and has 13 RBI in just 64 at-bats. While it could just be an outlier given he had six home runs in 57 MLB games last year for the Washington Nationals, it does seem like DeJong is a fine option while Detroit gets through these injuries.
An All-Star back in 2019, the 32-year-old is capable of playing all over the infield, which is a huge plus given that this team is having injury problems on both sides now.
DeJong Will Likely Get Opportunity with Tigers
As a veteran who has played closed to 1,000 MLB games, DeJong may not play a huge role for Detroit once they get healthy, but he is likely to get the chance to step in and prove what he can still do at this stage of his career.
The Tigers would certainly feel better about a veteran who has done it at the highest level leading the charge rather than forcing a prospect who may not be ready or a career minor league journeyman into action.
Look for DeJong to get the call up to Detroit sooner rather than later over the coming week.
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Michael Brauner is a 2022 graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in Sports Media. He covers various MLB teams across the On SI network and you can also find his work on Yellowhammer News covering the Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers as well as on the radio producing and co-hosting 'The Opening Kickoff' every weekday morning on 105.5 WNSP FM in Mobile, Alabama.