Detroit Tigers Make a Boatload of Roster Moves as Rosters Expand

The first bit of business this morning was the announcement of Carlos Guillen’s activation from the disabled list. Guillen had been poor at the plate, hitting just .207/.247/.329 in 68 games this season.

Even though Carlos had been the everyday starter at second base, I have to wonder if we’ll continue to see more of Ramon Santiago, who has been swinging the bat well lately (.309/.344/.494 in July and August).

Today is also September 1 which means MLB teams can expand their active roster from 25 up to 40. Today, the Tigers announced that they have called up Jacob Turner (to make a spot start today), Will Rhymes, Andy Dirks and Luis Marte (RHP-AA Erie).

I expect Turner to only make the one start before being shut down for the year. It’s possible that the team could use him out of the bullpen (or to replace Penny in the rotation), but the Tigers have been playing it safe with his inning totals all year. He’s on track to finish the year with 20-25 more innings logged than last year, which would set him up for a target in the neighborhood of 160-170 total innings next year when he’ll most likely be the team’s fifth starter.

Dirks should see his fair share of action with Brennan Boesch’s thumb situation up in the air. Without Boesch, the Tigers don’t really have another left handed hitting option in the outfield. Marte definitely get into the game, but how much action he sees will entirely depend upon how effective he is. Rhymes will join the team as a pinch runner and to provide extra defensive depth at second base. With Guillen returning and Santiago performing well, there probably won’t be much regular playing time at all for Rhymes.

The obvious omission from the call-up list is a backup catcher, but Matthew Mowery of the Oakland Press reports that Omir Santos, who’s been up with the big club on a couple of occasions this year, will likely join the team one Toledo’s season ends (their last game is on Monday). Expect Santos to spell Alex Avila often down the stretch, especially if the Tigers continue to enjoy a comfortable lead in the division. Another possible (probable) roster addition at that time is utility infielder Danny Worth.

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