Detroit Tigers: Jorge Bonifacio experiment has not started as hoped

The Detroit Tigers took a flier this offseason on outfielder Jorge Bonifacio; he is finally getting his shot in the big leagues.

While the Detroit Tigers have made some investments coming into the 2020 season, Jorge Bonifacio was just one of them. The outfielder spent the past ten seasons with the Kansas City Royals organization.

Though, Bonifacio only cracked the big leagues with the Royals in each of the past three seasons, with his role decreasing exponentially. His first season with the Royals saw him get the most use in the big leagues.

Now in the Tigers organization, Bonifacio was included in the 60-man player pool and has since gotten his call-up to the big leagues. Now, as a part of the big leagues, his sample size only spans three games, but he had an opportunity to make a splash in his debut.

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During his first three games with the Tigers organization, Bonifacio has hit .083/.154/.333 while having just one hit, a round-tripper home run.

The Tigers have not been able to phase Bonifacio back into the big leagues with the minor leagues as a stepping stone.

Given the COVID-19 changes that have come during this strange time, there is no Minor League Baseball season.

Instead, Bonifacio was working out and staying loose by hitting against some of the organization’s best young arms at the alternate training site.

It is not exactly the standard competition that would come from  Triple-A with the Toledo Mud Hens, which may be to blame for Bonifacio’s lackluster start. The outfielder has also looked to be struggling a little bit during some of the team’s recent contests.

He has already made an error in the outfield, and it may just be some jitters after making his first few appearances in the big leagues during the 2020 season. The Tigers may see Bonifacio tone things down, and end up becoming another name to mix into the outfield.

Either way, the start that Bonifacio has shown so far, even in just three games, is not the best one. It is much different than Casey Mize, who had a dazzling first start, though his second start was not as exciting, it has gone better for the right-handed pitcher.

The Tigers may view Bonifacio as an investment project, and not all investments pan out, but sometimes it just takes some time. The former international signee from the Dominican Republic might flourish sooner or later, but the start he’s been on has not been ideal.

Expect the Detroit Tigers to monitor Jorge Bonifacio’s performance and see how he does after being an investment type piece.