Ahead of Sunday’s series finale, the Detroit Tigers needed to make room on the active roster.
The decision seemingly came down to outfielders Daz Cameron and Victor Reyes, as the Tigers had to clear a roster spot for left-hander Matthew Boyd. He was activated from the injured list as Sunday’s scheduled starting pitcher against the Toronto Blue Jays at Comerica Park.
And the Tigers demoted Cameron.
“We’ll take at least a 10-day period to get Daz’s rhythm, timing and get his swing going in the right direction,” Tigers manager AJ Hinch said after Saturday’s 3-2 loss in extra innings. “He needs to play every day, something he’s not doing right now. Hopefully at some point between now and the end of the season, he gets more time up in the big leagues here.”
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Cameron, 24, is hitting .177 with three home runs and 11 RBIs over 25 games, drawing five walks and striking out 25 times.
Since returning Aug. 19 from the injured list — he was sidelined July 7 with a right toe strain — the rookie is 2-for-21 (.095) with two doubles, two RBIs and six strikeouts over six appearances. Eager to plan for the future, the Tigers hoped to keep Cameron around through the conclusion of the season.
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Upon being optioned to the minors, a player must wait 10 days before he is eligible to return to the big leagues. Regardless of how Cameron handles his job for the Mud Hens, he can’t return to Detroit until the second week of September.
The Tigers have four outfielders on the active roster: Reyes, Robbie Grossman, Akil Baddoo and Derek Hill. Along with playing all three outfield positions, Reyes owns a .224 batting average, four home runs, 13 RBIs, five walks and 41 strikeouts over 55 games.
In Friday’s 2-1 win over the Blue Jays, Reyes delivered a pinch-hit inside-the-park home run for the go-ahead run in the eighth inning.
Evan Petzold is a sports reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold. Read more on the Detroit Tigers and sign up for our Tigers newsletter.