Major League Baseball rosters expand Thursday by two players as September begins, and the Detroit Tigers will add a pair of young position players for the final month of the season: first baseman Spencer Torkelson and infielder Ryan Kreidler.
Torkelson, who turned 23 last week, and Kreidler, 24, are scheduled to arrive at Comerica Park on Thursday morning. They will be available off the bench for Thursday’s series finale against the Seattle Mariners and start Friday’s series opener against the Kansas City Royals.
It will be Kreidler’s MLB debut.
“They’ve got to do some things to make our team moving forward,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “There’s jobs to be won here. There’s also experienced to be gained. It’s important for the organization and the players to lay it all out there. … The young players that are going to be here in September need to learn what it takes to be successful at this level, not just compete at this level.”
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On Thursday, every team can add one extra pitcher and position player from the 40-man roster. For the extra pitcher, the Tigers will activate veteran right-hander Michael Pineda from the injured list. He is scheduled to start Saturday against the Royals.
Since Torkelson and Kreidler — two position players — are both joining, the Tigers must option a player to the minor leagues and make a corresponding move to place Kreidler on the 40-man roster. Transferring an injured player to the 60-day injured list, such as right-hander Rony Garcia or outfielder Austin Meadows, would create 40-man space.
Kreidler, a fourth-round pick in 2019 out of UCLA, batted .218 with eight home runs, 36 walks and 71 strikeouts in 55 games for Triple-A Toledo. He missed significant playing time in May with a fractured hand, then was sidelined again in June and July with a groin strain.
“We would have seen him earlier,” Hinch said.
In 2021, Kreidler crushed 15 of his 22 homers with the Mud Hens. He is the Tigers’ No. 7 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, and will get opportunities at second base, third and shortstop.
“I think you have to be careful not to get caught up on the batting average,” Hinch said. “He does so much more on a team than the batting average. … His spark is his overall package as a baseball player. He does everything pretty well. The question is going to be his adjustment to major-league pitching, right-handed pitching and all the things.”
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Along with Torkelson and Kreidler, Triple-A coaches Alfredo Amézaga and Adam Melhuse earned promotions to the big leagues. Amézaga will coach first base (sending Gary Jones to the bench), while Melhuse will work with hitters in the batting cage but won’t be on the bench during games.
“Melly is connected to that because we want the transition and development of those guys to continue,” Hinch said. “He’s been working with the guys, for the last month for Tork and most of the season for Kreidler. It’s natural to have that transition here. They’re not finished products.
“We had the decision on whether to leave them in Triple-A or bring them to the big leagues. We’re trying to create a development process at the big-league level where they are going to thrive. Bringing an entire group together is how it’s all connected for coach and player.”
Torkelson, the 2020 No. 1 overall pick, was the Tigers’ the starting first baseman on Opening Day 2022. He batted .187 with five home runs, 29 walks and 76 strikeouts over 83 games.
The Tigers demoted Torkelson to Toledo at the All-Star break. He struggled against fastballs, especially fastballs over the heart of the plate, and needed to adjust his swing mechanics and approach.
Torkelson, a right-handed hitter, didn’t overhaul his swing since leaving the Tigers on July 17, but he has implemented some slight adjustments. At the Triple-A level, he crushed left-handed pitchers, but against right-handers, he still had swing-and-miss troubles on high-velocity pitches over the middle of the plate.
Overall, Torkelson batted .228 with five homers, 22 walks and 40 strikeouts in 34 games for the Mud Hens.
“He’s got to continue to make adjustments,” Hinch said. “It has to be finalized here at the major-league level. He’s part of the future. We want to see if these adjustments that he’s done can continue in the big leagues. We know he’s not a finished product yet, but the work he’s put in has been substantial. The gains he’s gotten have been OK since. But we still hope there’s some more left in there for him to continue to develop.”