The Detroit Tigers were expecting catcher Jake Rogers to return in 2022.
He underwent Tommy John surgery in September 2021, began his throwing program in March and appeared on track to begin his rehab assignment in August, which would’ve lined up a comeback in the big leagues next month.
“I don’t see that being probable,” manager A.J. Hinch said Tuesday.
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Hinch doesn’t seem to expect Rogers until the 2023 season, meaning the Tigers could deploy the catching tandem of Tucker Barnhart and Eric Haase for the final six weeks of the season.
“He just hasn’t progressed to the point where we feel comfortable that he’s ready to be fully active,” Hinch said. “As a player, that’s a little bit — not concerning because of the nature of the injury. But he’s step-by-step doing his thing. He’s just not fully cleared.”
Rogers, 27, has been swinging the bat without limitations for a while in Lakeland, Florida, home of the team’s spring training complex, but throwing rehab has taken more time. The Tigers won’t allow Rogers to play at any level until he is fully cleared by the medical staff.
“We can’t partially rehab him,” Hinch said. “He has to be ready to be back there. One of the unknowns about having this surgery as a catcher is you can’t predict the angles in which you have to throw and the quickness in which you have to throw. This is not a delivery where you’re able to maintain normal protocol. That’s a little bit of the unknown.”
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Rogers hit .239 with six home runs, 11 RBIs and 46 strikeouts in 38 games last season. The Tigers acquired him Aug. 31, 2017, along with Franklin Perez and Daz Cameron, from the Houston Astros in the Justin Verlander trade.
“We’ve seen a couple catchers go through this and be fine,” Hinch said, “so we’re going to be extra cautious at the tail end of this. It’s very much up in the air.”
Another man down
Second baseman Jonathan Schoop, entering the clubhouse Sunday morning on a medical scooter and wearing a boot on his right foot, injured his ankle trying to avoid a tag at home plate in Saturday’s game.
On Tuesday, the Tigers placed Schoop on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to Sunday, with a right ankle sprain. Schoop, who didn’t need a scooter Tuesday but still had a walking boot, believes he can avoid missing a significant amount of time, but the Tigers aren’t putting a timetable on his return.
“I’m so done talking about the IL stint predictions,” Hinch said. “I’ve been struggling with that all year, so I’ll stay away from his one. We’ll get him active and healthy. … We’d like him to play again. I don’t think he’s going to be out for the year, but the accumulation of the unknowns has driven me to be very nonspecific.”
Schoop is batting .202 with nine home runs, 15 walks and 99 strikeouts over 115 games. He has a career-worst .553 OPS. He leads MLB with 23 outs above average and is worth plus-7 defensive runs saved.
“It’s going to be a quick process,” Schoop said. “I’ll make sure of it.”
Initially, Schoop planned to play Tuesday for the two-game series opener against the San Francisco Giants. He showed up at Comerica Park during Monday’s off day, and after going through some tests, the Tigers determined he wouldn’t be able to play.
“The swelling was worse than we anticipated,” Hinch said.
That led to his first injury list stint since 2020.
“It’s just healing,” Schoop said. “Everything looks good. It’s just swollen. Yesterday I put my foot in ice, and it got better. … It’s swollen everywhere. Today, I felt better already. We’re going to get some treatment and try to get better.”
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To replace Schoop, the Tigers will use several multi-positional players: Zack Short — whom the Tigers called up to fill Schoop’s place — Willi Castro and Kody Clemens. Castro has started 26 games in right field, 23 games in left field, 12 games in center field, five games at shortstop, five games at second base and three games at third base this season.
Castro is batting .250 with five homers, 13 walks and 62 strikeouts in 86 games.
“You’ll see a lot of different combinations,” Hinch said.
Zack Short could play outfield
Short, a member of the 40-man roster, hit .231 with 11 home runs, 70 walks and 117 strikeouts in 102 games for Triple-A Toledo this season. He also played two games for the Tigers on July 21 and July 23.
He went hitless in four plate appearances with one walk and two strikeouts.
“I’m going to try to mix him in,” Hinch said. “He’s been up here a couple times and not gotten to play. … He’s taken all this very well. I think he understands his opportunities have been minimal, and he’s going to try to take advantage of it now.”
For the Mud Hens, Short primarily played shortstop. His secondary position was second base, and he received experience — though minimal — at all three outfield positions.
“I may even mix him in the outfield,” Hinch said. “I’m not 100% sure on that.”
In 2021, Short played 61 games for the Tigers.
He hit .141 with six home runs, 22 walks and 59 strikeouts in 61 games. He went 6-for-69 (.087) with one homer, seven walks and 23 strikeouts over his final 30 games last season. He started 19 of those games.
The Tigers traded with the Chicago Cubs on Aug. 31, 2020, to acquire Short in exchange for outfielder Cameron Maybin. As the Tigers try to improve their roster, Short could be a candidate to be designated for assignment before the season ends or in the offseason.
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.