LAKELAND, Fla. -- The Tigers whittled their roster to 25 players on Friday, placing outfielder J.D. Martinez on the 10-day disabled list with a right midfoot sprain, outrighting Steven Moya to Triple-A Toledo and offering Rule 5 Draft pick Daniel Stumpf back to the Royals.
Both Moya and Stumpf cleared waivers on Friday. The Martinez move is retroactive to Thursday. That would leave Martinez eligible to return from the DL on April 9, though he's likely to need more time than that before he's ready to play.
Martinez sprained the lisfranc ligament in the middle of his right foot when he pulled out of a sliding catch in right field on March 18. A stress CT scan conducted March 24 revealed the injury. The initial diagnosis was that Martinez would need three to four weeks before being ready for game activity, followed by a rehab assignment or extended spring camp to get him ready.
A firmer timetable is expected once Martinez has his cast removed next Monday.
Moya was the fill-in for Martinez when he fractured his elbow last summer, but Moya's struggles since -- including a rough Spring Training with a .196 (11-for-56) average and one home run -- left him on the outside of the roster picture. The towering 25-year-old is out of Minor League options, so he had to clear waivers for the Tigers to take him off their 40-man roster.
The Stumpf move is procedural. As a two-time Rule 5 Draft pick, the left-handed reliever can decline a Minor League assignment and opt for free agency, which would allow him to sign wherever he chooses. Stumpf said Thursday he'd be open to re-signing with Detroit.
Though the Tigers are now down to the limit for Opening Day rosters, they don't have to set their roster until Sunday. They might still wait in case of another move, such as a waiver claim or signing.
In other news, the Tigers added to their catching depth by signing John Holaday to a Minor League contract. Detroit had traded him to Texas at the end of last spring, and he was in Phillies camp this month on a non-roster invite. But Holaday exercised the opt-out clause in his contract earlier this week, when he was told he was not going to make the team.
Holaday gives the Tigers a veteran insurance catcher at Triple-A Toledo in case James McCann or Alex Avila are injured during the season. It's the same catching trio that Detroit had in 2015.