Tigers shake up outfield, bullpen with roster additions

CLEVELAND -- The Tigers, on the verge of a rotation shakeup with Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize returning from the injured list over the next couple days, shook up other parts of their roster on Friday, adding outfielder James Outman and reliever Jacob Waguespack while reinstating closer Kenley Jansen from the 15-day injured list.

Outman, claimed off waivers from the Twins on Thursday, will jump into the mix in center field, where his defense will help fill the void left by injuries to Parker Meadows and Javier Báez. Waguespack, a 6-foot-6 right-hander who came up with the Blue Jays and last pitched in the Majors with the Rays two years ago, was acquired from the Brewers for a player to be named later or cash after exercising an upward mobility clause in his Minor League contract.

Outman, who hit 23 homers in a 3.4 bWAR season for the Dodgers in 2023, was designated for assignment by the Twins last week after batting 10-for-64 (.156) with three RBIs in 49 games. The vast majority of those appearances came as a defensive replacement.

His glove was a major appeal for the Tigers, who have been mixing Matt Vierling, Wenceel Pérez and Zach McKinstry in center. Outman started in center Friday night in Cleveland, batting ninth in the lineup.

“Outman will help us in center,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said, “and I think re-align some of the outfield play. … We can get [McKinstry] back in the infield quite a bit, although he’ll still continue to play some outfield. It’ll change some things out there day to day. I don’t think you’ll see any of them out there every single day, but I think you’ll see a combination.”

Whether the Tigers can unlock some of the offense that Outman showed in 2023 but has struggled to replicate could determine how much Outman plays. Even during that peak season, Outman battled strikeouts. His 35% career strikeout rate is well above the 22.4% Major League average, and goes against the Tigers’ organizational mantra of dominating the strike zone.

“The power is real,” Hinch said. “I know there’s been a lot of miss in there. What I told him is try to focus on what he’s trying to do and not try to avoid something. I’ve had players in the past who swung and missed quite a bit, and as you try to not swing and miss, you end up swinging and missing more.”

Waguespack leverages his big frame for near-elite arm extension, allowing his 92-93 mph fastball to play up. He had a 43% whiff rate on his heater at Triple-A Nashville, a 50% whiff rate on his changeup and a 39.6% whiff rate on his cutter, according to Statcast. The combination allowed him to rack up 33 strikeouts over 21 2/3 innings in Nashville, providing appeal for a Tigers bullpen that has struggled for strikeouts since last season.

“We like the fastball. We like some of the secondary pitches, his extension,” Hinch said. “Just his overall look is different than what we have and can miss some bats. We tried to get him in the last couple offseasons and weren’t able to land him. We were able to get him and bring him up here and give him a look.”

Jansen returns after missing two weeks on the injured list with pelvic inflammation. He threw a rehab outing at Triple-A Toledo on Wednesday, allowing three runs on two hits and a walk in two-thirds of an inning.

To make room on the roster, the Tigers optioned righty relievers Beau Brieske and Brenan Hanifee to Toledo. Infielder Zack Short, who had been splitting time at shortstop with Kevin McGonigle, was designated for assignment. With McKinstry now expected to platoon with McGonigle, Short’s role was greatly diminished.