As injuries pile up in the Tigers' outfield, the club is turning to an old division foe for help: Trayce Thompson.
Once a second-round pick of the White Sox who made a strong impression as a rookie in 2015, Thompson agreed to a minor league deal with the Tigers on Thursday and will report to Triple-A Toledo.
He's a 31-year-old versatile outfielder who's played over 200 games in the majors and could get a look in Detroit.
If you haven't heard of Thompson, you've almost certainly heard of his older brother: Golden State Warriors All-Star Klay Thompson. Maybe we'll see Klay this summer in Detroit, too.
Trayce Thompson hasn't been much of a hitter in the majors, owning a career OPS of .677. But he was clobbering the ball this season for the Padres' Triple-A affiliate, posting nine homers and an OPS of 1.244 in 16 games.
He has 54 homers over his last 197 games in Triple-A. If he sustains his power stroke in Toledo, Thompson will likely get a call from the Tigers who rank last in the majors in homers.
The Tigers lost outfielders Austin Meadows (vertigo) and Victor Reyes (quad) to the 10-day injured list last week and Opening Day center fielder Akil Baddoo is still struggling in Toledo. They're also waiting on the return of Riley Greene.