Detroit — September is lurking.
Teams can add two players to their active roster: a pitcher and a position player. Among the questions being debated among Tigers manager AJ Hinch and his staff is whether first baseman Spencer Torkelson would be best served finishing the year in the big leagues or continuing to work through his issues at Triple-A Toledo.
“The last finish of this process for him is going to have to be here,” Hinch said. “It might be here at the end of this season. It might go into next season. I don’t know what’s in store. But no matter what you do in Triple-A, good or bad, what you do up here is going to be that final confidence-builder to be the player he can be.”
Things have not gone smoothly for Torkelson since the Tigers optioned him back to Toledo at the All-Star break. He’s hitting .226 and slugging .387 with four home runs and a .726 OPS. His strikeout rate is higher than it was in his 298 big-league plate appearances (28%).
“I don’t think he’s in a rut in Triple-A,” Hinch said. “I think he’s in a rut in 2022, just overall. It’s impossible for players not to carry the baggage with them. We say we want them to let everything go and be yourself.
“In reality, the numbers don’t lie. The numbers remind you every day. He’s been better the last couple of weeks.”
Hinch said Torkelson is still trying to make the proper adjustments in two areas:
► He needs to gain a better overall understanding of who he is as a hitter and then what he has to do — what adjustments he needs to make — to get there. To untap his ability.
► He needs to be able to validate his belief that he can succeed at the big-league level.
“I think he does believe he can do it at this level,” Hinch said. “But the success didn’t come early on.”
Make no mistake, Hinch — and the entire organization — wants Torkelson to finish the season where he started it.
“Our goal when we sent him down was for him to come back,” Hinch said. “But he has to be trending in the right direction. He’s got to be doing the things we expect.”
Hinch said the recent reports he’s gotten from Toledo manager Lloyd McClendon have been positive. And some of the raw statistics don’t show the number of balls he’s hit hard that were caught or the quality of some of the at-bats that ended in outs.
“Perspective matters, but process matters more for Tork,” Hinch said. “I do hope we can give him another opportunity to finish the season where he started and where he belongs long-term.”
Kreidler update
Infielder Ryan Kreidler is another potential September call-up candidate, but he’s been scuffling in Toledo, as well.
In the month of August, he’s hitting .172 with a 34% strikeout rate in 83 plate appearances.
“I hate to tell a guy not to strike out because just touching it doesn’t necessarily get you to the big leagues, either, if you don’t do it with force,” Hinch said. “He’s just missed so much time. He just needs to play and play. Obviously, he’s somebody we look forward to getting to this level, at some point.
“But he’s missed so much time; it’s tricky when to make that call and bring him up.”
As with Torkelson, it’s not the raw strikeout numbers that are blocking his arrival. It’s never one specific thing.
“Whether to bring a guy up or not, it’s not an exact science,” Hinch said. “The numbers don’t tell you everything. But, they do tell you a few things on what he needs to do to be good when he gets here.”
Around the horn
… As for the pitcher who will likely be added to the roster in September? Maybe veteran right-hander Michael Pineda, who went four innings and struck out six in his second rehab start with Toledo on Tuesday. Hinch said he will make one last start Sunday for Toledo and be an option to return in September — restoring the Tigers’ five-man rotation.
…Tigers’ 2021 first-round pick, pitcher Jackson Jobe was scratched from his debut start at West Michigan Wednesday. Ryan Garko, Tigers’ vice president of player development, said he slept wrong and woke up with stiffness in his back. “We’re just being careful,” Garko said. “He’s got two or three more starts left in the season.” Garko said Jobe will likely make a start over the weekend.
… Hinch was somewhat amused by the Rally Mantis that made its inauspicious debut at Comerica Park in the bottom of the ninth inning Tuesday. “I need a little more effort out of that thing,” Hinch said. “We were close, but not quite good enough. If it returns, more productivity, please.”
…Shortstop Javier Baez was scratched right before the start of the game because of back spasms. Kody Clemens was inserted into the lineup at second base with Willi Castro moving to short.
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