Detroit Tigers reward Akil Baddoo with call-up after mechanical change with hands in Toledo

The Detroit Tigers weren't going to play without a full roster.

That's why the Tigers promoted outfielder Akil Baddoo from Triple-A Toledo before Saturday's game against the Houston Astros, as the immediate corresponding move to right-hander Kenta Maeda landing on the injured list with a viral illness. The Tigers also wanted to reward Baddoo for his performance, even though he probably won't stick around for long.

He will likely get sent back to Mud Hens on Monday or Tuesday.

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"I told him I didn't know how long it was going to be or what the opportunity was," Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said, "but he's a part of this. We want these guys to know we notice, and we had an opportunity to add a unique set of tools on the bench. ... We didn't want to play short, ever. It's convenient when Toledo is 50 miles away. We didn't use him last night, but we might today."

Baddoo didn't play Saturday for the Tigers, despite being in the dugout throughout the game, and he wasn't in Sunday's starting lineup. The 25-year-old left-handed hitter finally got his chance in the ninth inning of Sudnay's 9-3 loss; after entering as a defensive sub in the top of the ninth, he led off the bottom of the inning by scorching a 2-2 changeup on the ground into right field, speeding around the bases before sliding into third for a triple. He then scored the Tigers' first run on a first-pitch balk by Houston's Seth Martinez.

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In Triple-A Toledo, Baddoo is hitting .257 with five doubles, four triples, four home runs, 19 walks and 27 strikeouts across 30 games, spanning 135 plate appearances. He has also stolen 11 bases in 15 attempts.

On offense, Baddoo made a mechanical adjustment to his hands.

"He's been awesome," Hinch said. "His hand movement is a little closer to what it was when we first got him in 2021. That's freed him up. The chase is still declining, which is a great sign. He is able to cover a lot more pitches with where his hands are starting and what he's doing with them. He's generating power with his hands and not so much his body, so that's an encouraging sign. His consistency in his work and his consistency in his setup has been much improved, and the results have followed."

The Tigers optioned Baddoo, making $1.55 million this season as part of the salary arbitration process, to Triple-A Toledo at the end of spring training. He is a .233 hitter with a .314 on-base percentage in 309 games throughout his three-year MLB career, beginning in 2021.

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Is Tuesday more likely for Gio Urshela's return?

Third baseman Gio Urshela, recovering from a right hamstring strain, continued his rehab assignment Sunday with Triple-A Toledo, making his third appearance in the past four days.

He started Thursday (designated hitter), Friday (third base) and Sunday (third base) for the Mud Hens. It's unclear if Urshela will return to the Tigers for Monday's series opener against the Miami Marlins at Comerica Park.

"I talked to him in the clubhouse," Hinch said. "I said, 'We'll see what that leads to.' We'd like to see him be explosive and be back to regular form, not just the fact that he can get on the field, but be the Gio that we know he can be and give him, in all fairness to him and fairness to us, be good and have no worries. ... We can have no reservations when we bring him back. When he's ready, he's ready, and he's going to be a central part of this, but we got to be sure."

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If Urshela, a right-handed hitter, doesn't return for Monday's series opener, he will miss an unfavorable matchup with Marlins right-hander Sixto Sánchez. Sánchez doesn't throw a lot of fastballs, whereas Urshela likes to hit fastballs and performs better against left-handers.

Urshela will have much better matchups against Marlins left-handers Ryan Weathers and Trevor Rogers on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. Last season, Urshela hit .373 against lefties and .276 against righties.

"We got to be ready to react," Hinch said. "We got to be explosive with the bat. Those balls that are hit (to third base), you got to be explosive in your first step to get to any of those balls. And certainly around the bases. I don't need him to run a 4.4. That's not what he does. But we can't have any reservations or a governor on him just to get him back a day or two sooner."

Justyn-Henry Malloy returns to Mud Hens

Outfielder Justyn-Henry Malloy returned to Toledo's lineup Sunday after missing seven games while undergoing precautionary tests on an undisclosed injury to the lower half of his body.

Malloy, who never landed on the injured list, returned as the designated hitter in Sunday's lineup. He had a nine-game hitting streak when he was removed from last Friday's game in the sixth inning following a groundout.

In 2024, Malloy is hitting .279 with three home runs, 26 walks and 34 strikeouts in 30 games for Triple-A Toledo. He also hit .277 with 23 homers, 110 walks and 152 strikeouts in 136 games with the Mud Hens in 2023.

Malloy has 776 plate appearances in his Triple-A career.

Triple-A Toledo third baseman Jace Jung, a fellow top prospect, wasn't in the Mud Hens' lineup for Sunday's game after being scratched from Saturday's game due to soreness, according to the Toledo Blade's Brian Buckey, but the specific area of soreness is unknown.

Kenta Maeda needs rehab assignment

Maeda, whom the Tigers placed on the injured list Saturday with a viral illness, didn't report for Sunday's game because of his sickness, and he might not report for Monday's game. Maeda, expected to miss at least two starts, also hasn't played catch in a couple of days.

He will need a rehab assignment in Triple-A Toledo before returning to the Tigers.

"We'll get him back up and running," Hinch said, "and then there clearly will be a rehab assignment and get him back into the game. Hopefully, that's sooner rather than later, but we got to let this virus get through him to where he can come and get a full workout before we even get him back on the mound.

"I don't think it's going to be extended. Most of this, it's been four or five days for people, but four of five days from not throwing, it sets him back and will allow us to build him back up and get him some work."

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Akil Baddoo earns Detroit Tigers call-up after swing changes in Toledo