Tigers' Akil Baddoo: Likely to be retained for 2024
Rotowire
Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris indicated Tuesday that Baddoo will be tendered a contract for the 2024 season, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
Baddoo was believed to be a non-tender candidate this winter after slashing just .213/.302/.331 in 582 combined plate appearances between 2022-23, but he is only projected to make around $1.7 million in 2024 -- his first year of arbitration eligibility -- and the Tigers are hopeful that he can recapture his 2021 form. That year, as a rookie, Baddoo put up a .766 OPS with 13 homers and 18 steals across his first 124 major-league games. "He still very much fits in," said Harris. "There is a role for him. We're not an organization that wants to give up players that can affect the game in that way for nothing."
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Tigers' Akil Baddoo: Reaches four times, swipes bag
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Baddoo went 1-for-1 with a triple, two RBI and a stolen base in Saturday's victory over Cleveland while also drawing three walks.
Baddoo walked and stole second in his first trip to the plate and later drove in two runs with a two-out triple in the bottom of the sixth to extend Detroit's lead. The left fielder would then add another two walks on the afternoon, giving him four free passes over his last two games. The stolen base was Baddoo's 13th of the season, with five of those coming in September, while the triple was the first in his 2023 campaign.
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Tigers' Akil Baddoo: Sitting against lefty
Rotowire
Baddoo isn't starting Thursday against the Royals.
Baddoo will step out of the lineup for the final game of the Tigers' series against Kansas City as southpaw Cole Ragans starts on the mound for the Royals. Matt Vierling will move to left field while Andre Lipcius picks up a start at third base.
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Tigers' Akil Baddoo: Hits 11th home run
Rotowire
Baddoo hit a pinch-hit home run during his lone at-bat in Tuesday's 6-3 win over the Royals.
Baddoo provided some offense off the bench, though it's a bit concerning that he was out of the starting lineup in a matchup against veteran righty Zack Greinke. The Tigers have been eliminated from playoff contention, so they may mix and match their lineups the rest of the way to get a look at some different players, which could make Baddoo's playing time unpredictable over the final handful of games.
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Tigers' Akil Baddoo: Out of lineup again
Rotowire
Baddoo is not in the lineup for Tuesday's contest against the Royals, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
It marks the third time in four games that Baddoo has been absent from the lineup, although this is the first time it's happened against a right-hander. Baddoo is hitless over his last six contests. Matt Vierling will handle left field.
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Tigers' Akil Baddoo: Resting versus lefty
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Baddoo isn't in the Tigers' lineup Sunday versus Oakland.
As lefty JP Sears prepares to start on the mound, the Tigers will keep the left-handed bat of Baddoo on the bench to start Sunday's contest. Andy Ibanez will start in left field and bat second.
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Tigers' Akil Baddoo: Sitting against lefty
Rotowire
Baddoo isn't in the Tigers' lineup Friday against the Athletics.
Left-hander Ken Waldichuk is lined up to start Friday for the A's, so Baddoo will sit on the bench to begin the game. Andy Ibanez will start in left field instead and bat second.
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Tigers' Akil Baddoo: Not starting against lefty
Rotowire
Baddoo isn't in the Tigers' lineup Tuesday against the Dodgers.
Southpaw Caleb Ferguson will start Tuesday for Los Angeles, meaning the lefty-hitting Baddoo will remain on the bench to begin the game. Matt Vierling will shift to left field in Baddoo's place while Tyler Nevin starts at the hot corner.
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Tigers' Akil Baddoo: Sitting against lefty
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Baddoo is absent from the lineup Sunday versus the Angels.
Matt Vierling, Parker Meadows and Kerry Carpenter will start across the outfield for the Tigers as they match up against left-hander Reid Detmers. Baddoo has drawn only 10 plate appearances versus southpaws this year.
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Tigers' Akil Baddoo: On bench Friday
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Baddoo is not in the lineup Friday against the Angels.
Baddoo went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and two runs scored in the Tigers' defeat of the Reds on Thursday, but he'll take a seat Friday as Matt Vierling patrols left field. Parker Meadows is in center and Kerry Carpenter is in right.
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Tigers' Akil Baddoo: Hits 10th home run
Rotowire
Baddoo went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and a second run scored in Thursday's win over the Reds.
Baddoo went deep with a runner on in the fourth inning, giving him 10 home runs for the year. The outfielder has recorded 10 or more long balls in two of his three seasons with the Tigers, and each time he's also reached double figures in stolen bases. That's given him some fantasy appeal in deeper leagues, though his low batting average has put a dent in his value.
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Tigers' Akil Baddoo: Sitting versus left-hander
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Baddoo is absent from the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Reds.
Cincinnati is throwing southpaw Brandon Williamson, so the left-handed hitting Baddoo will take a seat. Matt Vierling will occupy left field for the Tigers in the series opener.
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Tigers' Akil Baddoo: Not starting against lefty
Rotowire
Baddoo isn't in the Tigers' lineup Thursday against the Yankees, Erik Boland of Newsday reports.
With southpaw Carlos Rodon on the mound for the Yankees, the left-handed bat of Baddoo will take a seat to begin Thursday's game. Tyler Nevin will enter as Detroit's left fielder and bat eighth.
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Tigers' Akil Baddoo: Remains out of lineup
Rotowire
Baddoo is not in the starting lineup Friday versus the White Sox.
Baddoo will remain on the bench for a second straight contest after he went 0-for-7 with a walk and four strikeouts in two games against the Yankees. Kerry Carpenter will start in right field while Miguel Cabrera enters the lineup at designated hitter and bats sixth.
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Tigers' Akil Baddoo: Sitting Thursday
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Baddoo is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Yankees.
Baddoo will hit the bench for the series finale after going 0-for-7 with four strikeouts and a walk while starting both of the past two contests. With Baddoo taking a seat, Kerry Carpenter will pick up a start in the corner outfield and open up the designated-hitter spot for Miguel Cabrera.
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Tigers' Akil Baddoo: Provides offense Monday
Rotowire
Baddoo hit a pinch-hit solo home run in Monday's 4-1 loss to the Yankees.
Baddoo didn't appear until the ninth inning but still managed to make an impact, slugging his ninth home run of the season for Detroit's only run of the night. The outfielder didn't get the start against a righty for the second day in a row, so his role may be shrinking with the recent arrival of top prospect Parker Meadows. Baddoo was already sitting most of the time against southpaws and now looks like more of a bench option, which cuts into his fantasy value.
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Tigers' Akil Baddoo: Benched against righty again
Rotowire
Baddoo is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Yankees.
The lefty-hitting Baddoo will hit the bench for the second straight day against a right-handed pitcher, sitting Monday versus the Yankees' Luis Severino after he was idle Sunday versus the Astros' Justin Verlander. Tigers manager A.J. Hinch hasn't said that Baddoo is on the outs for a strong-side platoon role just yet, but the recent playing-time trends aren't encouraging. Baddoo maintains a .772 OPS so far in August but has slashed .182/.217/.182 over his last seven games.
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Tigers' Akil Baddoo: Hits bench versus righty
Rotowire
Baddoo is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Astros.
For the fourth time in seven games, Baddoo finds himself on the bench, though the lefty-hitting outfielder's absence Sunday will come with a right-hander (Justin Verlander) on the hill for the opposition. Baddoo has been solid enough overall in August to continue holding down a strong-side platoon role, as he's slashing .266/.319/.453 with three home runs and two stolen bases on the month.
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Tigers' Akil Baddoo: Sitting out against lefty
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Baddoo is absent from the lineup for Tuesday's contest against the Cubs, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Left-hander Drew Smyly is taking the ball for Chicago, so the Tigers will go with Matt Vierling in left field as Baddoo rests. Third base -- which is where Vierling has mostly played recently -- will be occupied by Zack Short.
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Tigers' Akil Baddoo: Sitting versus lefty
Rotowire
Baddoo is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Guardians.
Baddoo went 0-for-6 with three strikeouts the past two games and will take a seat for Sunday's series finale since lefty Logan Allen is on the mound for Cleveland. Matt Vierling will move out to left field while Zack Short starts at third base.
