BALTIMORE -- Zack Short will eventually take some swings at Triple-A Toledo.
First, the Detroit Tigers want to give him a chance to catch his breath.
“There is a plan in place to let him decompress and get over the last handful of games for him that really spiraled out of control for him,” said Tigers manager A.J. Hinch.
The 26-year-old Tigers infielder had been in an 0-for-23 slump when he was optioned after Sunday’s game in Cleveland. Worse, his normally surehanded defense fell apart, including two key errors in the series finale against the Indians.
The Tigers needed to make a move to activate Niko Goodrum from the injured list, so it’s possible that Short might have been the odd man out regardless. But his recent slump made the decision easier.
Overall, in three short stints and one lengthy stretch with the big-league club, Short has hit .145 with a .563 OPS in 134 plate appearances. He’s walked 18 times (13.4 percent of plate appearances) and struck out 48 times (35.8 percent).
“I love Zack and I think he’s going to be a nice player for us,” Hinch said. “I hope he gets to come back at some point this season. He’s usually surehanded, but he’s had a rough time on defense. He’s had some strikeouts in his past, but he’s not going to strike out at the rate that he’s struck out in the big leagues so far.”
Short could certainly be in the utility infielder conversation in 2021. At the very least, his minor-league options make him an enticing depth option in Toledo.
But will he ever again get an extended look as a nearly everyday shortstop as he’s done since late June?
Maybe not.
The combined performance of Short, Goodrum, Willi Castro, Harold Castro and Isaac Paredes has likely convinced the Tigers that they’ll have to get their 2022 shortstop through a trade or free-agent signing.
Short got only a six-week audition in the role, but it was longer than most 26-year-old players without an elite pedigree typically get.
If Spencer Torkelson struggles in his first 134 plate appearances in the big leagues, we’ll be cautioned again and again not to be make a big deal of it. If he fails in his first extended look, he’ll get a second and third and maybe a fourth opportunity.
Not so for players on the fringes.
Baseball can be cruel in the way it rewards those who seize opportunities and punishes those who don’t.
Prior to this season, catcher Eric Haase had struggled in the ever-so-brief glimpses of Major League playing time he received from the Cleveland Indians.
Had history gone a little bit differently, that might have been it. Haase would have retired with a .122 career batting average in 26 games as a late-season call-up.
Today, at age 28, he’s not only played his way into AL Rookie of the Year contention, he’s played his way into the Tigers’ 2022 plans.
It almost didn’t happen. In fact, if Dustin Garneau hadn’t broken his wrist a few days before the Tigers needed a catcher, Haase might not have even been called up this year.
If Short needs further encouragement, he can talk to Goodrum.
Goodrum had labored through parts of eight seasons in the Minnesota Twins minor-league system when he finally got a big-league chance in 2017.
He went 1-for-17 with 10 strikeouts.
Maybe it wouldn’t have mattered if he had gone 12-for-17. Maybe he would have been let go regardless.
But as Goodrum hit free agency that winter, he probably worried that he might never get another chance in the big leagues.
But he did, signing with the Tigers as a minor-league free agent and earning the last spot on the roster after a strong spring training.
Goodrum has spent four years with the Tigers and never once been sent for to the minor leagues except for rehab assignments.
Goodrum, now 29, will play semi-regularly at shortstop for the near future, splitting time with Harold Castro. He’ll start in Tuesday night’s series opener against the Orioles.
After this season, the future is less certain. Goodrum is making $2.1 million this year and will be in line for a slight raise in arbitration. That’s probably more than the Tigers want to pay for a utility man.
That’s where Short reenters the picture. His days in a Tiger’s uniform might not be done yet.
“I do think he has the make-up to overcome this little bump in the road,” Hinch said of Short. “He’s going to go down to Triple-A for a little over a week and then we’re likely to add him to the taxi squad when we go to Toronto. Who knows if we’re going to add a position player when the St. Louis series comes around in a National League ballpark? Roster-wise, we can’t make any promises, but we wanted to get him away from the things that were piling up on him both offensively and defensively. He’ll get to play a few games in Triple-A with less pressure and less stress and hopefully we’ll get him back up here when we can.”
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Tigers will let Zack Short catch his breath: ‘He has the make-up to overcome this’ - MLive.com
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