The Detroit Tigers claimed infielder Nick Solak, a second baseman who has played more often in left field recently, off waivers Friday from the Atlanta Braves.
Solak, 28, has played in 254 games, including 253 with the Texas Rangers, across parts of five MLB seasons. He has a .252 batting average with 21 home runs, 74 walks and 197 strikeouts.
The Tigers optioned him to Triple-A Toledo.
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Solak, a below-average defender, owns a 7.6% walk rate and a 20.2% strikeout rate in his MLB career while playing four positions: second base (141 starts), left field (39 starts), center field (13 starts) and third base (11 starts).
In 2023, Solak has been a member of the Cincinnati Reds, Seattle Mariners, Chicago White Sox, Braves and Tigers.
He played 42 Triple-A games, with four for Tacoma (the Mariners’ affiliate) and 38 for Gwinnett (the Braves’ affiliate), receiving starts at the corner outfield positions. The right-handed hitter has a .256 batting average with six home runs, 20 walks (10.5% walk rate) and 33 strikeouts (17.4% strikeout rate).
The Tigers have two hitting prospects — infielder Andre Lipcius and outfielder Parker Meadows — on the 40-man roster in Triple-A Toledo. Fellow prospect Justyn-Henry Malloy, who plays third base and left field, isn’t on the 40-man yet.
Malloy, whom the Tigers acquired in an offseason trade with the Braves, leads the group of three players with a .852 OPS in 58 games. He is hitting .268 with nine home runs, 44 walks and 68 strikeouts.
Solak played one game for the Braves this season. He was called up when outfielder Eli While missed time on the paternity list. In 2021, Solak played a career-high 127 games with the Rangers. That year, he hit .242 with 11 homers, 34 walks and 107 strikeouts in 511 plate appearances.
The New York Yankees selected Solak in the second round of the 2016 draft (No. 62 overall) from the University of Louisville.
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Right-hander Spencer Turnbull (neck discomfort) was transferred to the 60-day injured list to make room for Solak on the 40-man roster. He hasn’t pitched for the Tigers since May 6 against the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Tigers’ 40-man roster is full.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold.