Detroit Tigers take advantage of expanded rosters; promote Drew Carlton
By Tyler Kotila
The Detroit Tigers are moving into September and have begun making roster moves already. The team has taken advantage of the league’s roster expansion rules early on in the month. Many baseball fans know about September call-ups and the idea of being able to call up and send down players more freely.
The Detroit Tigers have started doing that with their recent move in hopes to strengthen the team’s bullpen. The team opted to send down shortstop Zack Short and call up right-handed reliever Drew Carlton.
It’s not an earth-shattering move, but it still shows how the team is using the league’s roster expansion rules to their benefit. The Tigers bullpen has been better in 2021 than prior years but the team still needs extra arms. So trying out guys like Carlton is not a half-bad idea
Short, who was acquired last year at the trade deadline has not been anything special, not that he was really expected to be. So sending him down to try and straighten things out at the dish may not be all that bad of an idea for the Tigers.
The Detroit Tigers are taking advantage of September call-ups.
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The Tigers are 64-72 currently and fighting to get closer to a .500 record as the seasons’ end draws closer.
It’s been a better season than in recent memory but this year the team is moving in the right direction.
The team’s bullpen has been an issue, not that Carlton is some savior of an arm, but he’s better than options like Erasmo Ramirez or Joe Jiménez.
Carlton, a late-round draft pick of the Tigers in 2017 will be making his big league debut.
He’s spent the 2021 season down in Toledo where he has accumulated 29 appearances, totaling 49 innings pitched. Carlton pitched to a 3.12 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP while punching out 48 opposing hitters.
The Tigers are going to hope that Carlton can add a benefit to the Tigers bullpen during his time in the big leagues. His first stint in the big leagues should be low-leverage situations as the expectation is that Tigers manager, A.J. Hinch, will not be placing him into high-leverage situations.
At least not for his debut in the big leagues, but then again, who knows.
The bottom line with the call-up of Carlton and demotion of Short is that it is good to see the Tigers start utilizing the September call-ups to give some guys chances who they have not seen so far in the 2021 season.
Trending. Detroit Tigers: 2 players who can benefit from rosters expanding. light
Expect a couple more roster moves like this as the month continues.