Spencer Torkelson is headed back to Triple-A Toledo.
The Detroit Tigers announced Sunday they are optioning Torkelson, the 2020 No. 1 overall pick, to the Mud Hens.
Torkelson, a 22-year-old rookie first baseman, is hitting .197 with 11 doubles and five home runs in 264 at-bats over 82 games for the Tigers. He has an on-base percentage of .282 with an anemic slugging percentage of .295 and OPS of .577.
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He’s part of a historically bad offense that has scored an MLB-worst 288 runs — 3.13 per game. Oakland is 29th with 302 runs.
The Tigers are fourth in the American League Central Division and third-worst in the AL.
The MLB All-Star break begins Monday, so Torkelson will begin the season’s second half in Toledo. He made 40 appearances for the Mud Hens in 2021— after starting the season in High-A West Michigan (31 games), then moving to Double-A Erie (50 games) — and batted .238 with 11 homers in 147 at-bats. His OBP was .350 and he slugged .531 for an .881 OPS.
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Sunday is a big night for the franchise, which has the No. 12 overall selection in the first round of the MLB draft.
The Tigers, whose game Sunday in Cleveland was postponed due to inclement weather, next play Thursday at Oakland for a doubleheader.
This story will be updated.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold. Read more on the Detroit Tigers and sign up for our Tigers newsletter.