Detroit Tigers send down Akil Baddoo for a change of pace

The Detroit Tigers have opted to send down outfielder Akil Baddoo to the team’s Triple-A affiliate. It’s a move that is warranted with the way that Baddoo has started off the 2022 season. A trip to Toledo to try and work things out is much-needed.

After the Detroit Tigers selected Baddoo in the Rule 5 Draft, there was some speculation about what he could offer. Though, when he got opportunities, Baddoo shined and took the league by storm.

After making the jump from Double-A, it was an impeccable start to his big league career. But, after a quality rookie campaign with the Tigers in 2021, things have not been the same in 2022. Not at all what the Tigers were hoping for.

Many people (including myself) thought that Baddoo would be a quality addition to the team, and right now, it’s hard to see that being the case. Though there is plenty of time for things to change, Baddoo has to straighten things out.

Detroit Tigers send Akil Badoo down to the minors.

In 2022, Baddoo has logged 17 games where he has slashed .140/.218/.220 with 15 strikeouts over 55 plate appearances. It’s been a putrid performance from the 23-year-old outfielder who needed to have a big year to prove he can be the big man.

It should not be deemed a surprising demotion. With a performance like this, there’s got to be something that happens to switch things up. Sending him down to the minors and hoping he can reignite the fire he had last season was very much warranted.

The Tigers cannot afford to send Baddoo out there in the big league lineup each day, seeing that slash line continue to hover in the .100’s, which is horrendous, to say the minimum. Baddoo is not going to be able to be a big-leaguer with numbers like that; with no changes on the horizon in the big leagues, sending him down makes sense.

Baddoo needed a change of pace, and the demotion will give him this opportunity. It may not be the move that Baddoo wanted, and the frustration might actually cause him to put the nose to the grindstone and make some changes.

The Tigers are still hopeful for Badoo, as they should be, it is just going to take time, and this “reset” demotion for Baddoo might be perfect. So while Baddoo’s numbers are horrible right now, expect him to try and make changes to be better in his return down the line.