James Outman made quite the debut for the Tigers on Friday, and it’s exactly what Detroit was hoping for when they claimed the outfielder off waivers Thursday.
With one out in the second inning against Cleveland, Outman tracked down a short fly ball from contact hitter Steven Kwan, diving to make a spectacular catch in center field. With a runner on second, that grab likely saved two runs – if the ball drops, Kwan probably scores on Brayan Rocchio’s RBI triple later in the inning.
Then came the offensive fireworks.
In his first at-bat as a Tiger, Outman launched a 418-foot home run to right-center at Progressive Field. The 29-year-old became just the 23rd player in franchise history to homer in his first plate appearance with Detroit.
It’s been a winding road for Outman since his breakout 2023 rookie season with the Dodgers, when he clubbed 23 homers, drove in 70 runs and swiped 16 bases. He’s struggled to match that production since, posting a 2.4 bWAR over the past two seasons combined.
The Twins picked him up this winter, but things went sideways quickly. Outman was hitting just .156/.229/.250 before Minnesota designated him for assignment earlier this week.
That’s where the Tigers come in. They’ve been looking to upgrade their center field defense, and Outman’s got the tools to help there. To make room on the 40-man roster, the team transferred Javier Baez to the 60-day injured list.
Detroit made several other moves before Friday’s series opener. Along with claiming Outman, they signed relievers Kenley Jansen and Jacob Waguespack. To clear space, infielder Zack Short was designated for assignment while relievers Beau Brieske and Brenan Hanifee were optioned to Triple-A Toledo.
The way I see it, Outman’s trying to recapture that 2023 magic when he looked like a legitimate everyday player. His first three innings as a Tiger suggest he’s off to the right start.
Now that he’s gotten his feet wet, it’ll be interesting to see if Detroit gives him consistent playing time in center field as they look to solidify their defense up the middle.
