Detroit Tigers' Christin Stewart, Aderlin Rodriguez among minor-league free agents

Evan Petzold
Detroit Free Press

Back in 2015, the Detroit Tigers drafted left-handed slugger Christian Stewart with the No. 34 overall pick from Tennessee. Six years later, the organization has cut the outfielder loose as a minor-league free agent.

Stewart is one of 20 minor-league free agents from the Tigers' farm system, along with reigning Triple-A East MVP Aderlin Rodriguez. On Tuesday, Baseball America provided the full list of free agents for all 30 teams.

Although these players can sign elsewhere, the Tigers could bring some of them back.

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Toledo Mud Hens outfielder Christin Stewart bats against the Nashville Sounds on Tuesday, May 4, 2021 in Toledo, Ohio.

Stewart, 27, played 157 games in the majors from 2018-20, hitting .225 with 15 home runs, 59 RBIs, 49 walks and 146 strikeouts. In the shortened 2020 campaign, he hit .167 with three homers, nine RBIs, five walks and 30 strikeouts over 36 games.

His poor results forced the Tigers to demote him to Triple-A Toledo in September 2020.

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Stewart didn't make the 2022 Opening Day roster, which wasn't a surprise, and spent the entire year in Toledo. He hit .254 with 21 home runs in 89 games for the Mud Hens. He has a career .263 batting average with 48 homers across 233 games at the Triple-A level.

Toledo's Aderlin Rodriguez (46) is tagged out sliding into third base during the Indianapolis minor league baseball team home opener vs. Toledo on Tuesday, May 11, 2021, at Victory Field.

Rodriguez, 29, earned Triple-A East MVP honors for his performance in 2021.

He hit .290 with 29 homers, 94 RBIs, 42 walks and 127 strikeouts in 116 games. Although Rodriguez is a solid player for organizational depth, it's tough to see him making his MLB debut for the Tigers, considering he is confined to first base, third base and designated hitter.

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Rodriguez has 12 years of minor-league experience, playing for the New York Mets, Seattle Mariners, Baltimore Orioles, San Diego Padres and Tigers. Detroit signed him to a minor-league contract in January 2021.

Here's the full list of Detroit's new minor-league free agents:

RHP Jose Appleton

C Juan Centeno

RHP Cale Coshow

RHP Isrrael De La Cruz

2B Yariel Gonzalez

RHP Drew Hutchison

RHP Xavier Javier

RHP Mark Leiter Jr.

3B Josh Lester

RHP Henry Martinez

RHP Gerson Moreno

RHP Pedro Payano

RHP Ricardo Pinto

RHP Wladimir Pinto

3B Aderlin Rodriguez

LHP Robert Ross

RHP Zachary Shepherd

LHP Locke St. John

OF Christin Stewart

3B Drew Ward

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold. Read more on the Detroit Tigers and sign up for our Tigers newsletter.