In May, the Tigers appeared prepared to ride through the season with their young players on the roster regardless of the resulting losses. However, they've moved away from that plan in the last month. Yesterday, Detroit demoted RHP Gary Knotts and called up RHP Fernando Rodney.

Knotts lost his rotation job to RHP Matt Roney, and rather than having him pitch out of the pen, the Tigers wanted Knotts to work on his starting skills at AAA. Unfortunately, Roney's skill levels indicate he likely will perform no better and possibly worse than Knotts when moved into the rotation. Detroit should leave the 23-year-old Rule 5 pick in the pen for the rest of the season in order to retain his rights, and then allow Roney to spend at least half of 2004 starting at AAA before moving him into the rotation. Knotts' command in the majors hasn't met the standards necessary to hold a starting job on most teams, but given the Tigers' current options, the 26-year-old deserves to be in the Detroit rotation. Additionally, Knotts' minor league numbers indicate, he could develop into a solid bottom of the rotation pitcher.

The Tigers' decision to carry three Rule 5 pitchers left few spots available in the bullpen and Fernando Rodney failed to secure one in Spring Training. However, while at AAA Toledo, the 26-year-old caught the attention of the front office, compiling a 37:8 K:BB with 18 H and no homers allowed in 27.2 IP for a 1.95 ERA over 26 appearances. The circumstances surrounding his promotion are regrettable, but Rodney should pitch effectively in the majors and improve the Detroit pen.

Last week the Tigers sent the 26-year-old C-R Brandon Inge to the minors and called up the 29-year-old C-R A.J. Hinch. Inge hit .150 with a .225 OBP and .275 SLG on 25 H, 5 2B, 2 3B, and 4 HR with a 12:45 BB:K and 0/4 SB% during his time in the majors. He clearly didn't belong on the team when the Tigers broke camp and yet Manager Alan Trammell was determined to use him as Detroit's starting catcher. Inge offers the promise of moderate power, but he's unlikely to realize that potential without improving his ability to make effective contact. At this point, the Tigers should forget about him while he works at AAA until his numbers make them remember. However, I expect to see Inge back in Detroit in September if not sooner.

Hinch was hitting .261 with a .317 OBP and .436 SLG on 43 H, 15 2B, 1 3B, and 4 HR with an 11:34 BB:K and 0/1 SB% in 165 AB at AAA Toledo in the International League prior to his promotion. When the Tigers acquired Hinch from Cleveland shortly before the season opened, we expected him to break camp over C-S Matt Walbeck as Inge's back-up. We also felt that if Trammell ever grew displeased with Inge, Hinch would take over the starting job. As Walbeck has done little as Inge's back-up, Hinch assumed the starting catching duties when he joined the team, so Detroit should begin to see more production from their back-stop.

Meanwhile, 2B-L Warren Morris (29) has snatched the second base job from IF-S Ramon Santiago, and UT-R Shane Halter (33) seems to have appropriated the bulk of the playing time at short. Morris joined the team when 1B-L Carlos Pena hit the DL in early June. Over the first two months of the season, he hit .278 with a .332 OBP and .410 SLG on 57 H, 13 2B,4 3B, and 2 HR with a 16:62 BB:K and 4/5 SB% in 205 AB at AAA Toledo. While he apparently abandoned the solid walk rate of his early career after the 2000 season, I believe Morris possesses the skills to perform productively in the majors. His presence should add a little power to the lineup, giving the league's worst offense a boost.

When the Tigers' released IF-R Damion Easley, I complained that neither Santiago nor IF-R Omar Infante would benefit from spending 2003 in the majors. Santiago's made progress this year, slightly improving his walk and contact rates. However, a team using the majors as a training ground for their players should expect to lose games. Hopefully, Detroit will send Santiago to AAA when Pena returns from the DL. I'm more conflicted about whether Halter should keep the job at short. Although Halter possesses more power than Infante and demonstrated in 2001 he's capable of producing at a level worthy of a starting role, Halter currently isn't providing Detroit with much more than Infante. Consequently, if the Tigers are prepared to send Infante to the minors for a significant stay, my only complaint is that they didn't have him start the season at AAA. Conversely, since Halter is worthless to Detroit after the season, I strongly disapprove of this move if it means Infante is to sit on the bench or just pop to the minors for a brief visit.

In late May, Pena tore a tendon in his calf. The Tigers thought he might be able to avoid a trip to the disabled list, because the tendon he tore is regularly transplanted in surgery to replace torn anterior cruciate ligaments. When Pena wasn't ready to rejoin the lineup after a week, the team decided the best course of action was to place him on the disabled list. The healing process took longer than expected, so Detroit sent Pena on a rehab assignment, which has proceeded smoothly. A fully healthy Pena should rejoin the team this week.

Less than a week after the Tigers placed Pena on the DL, Eugene Kingsale followed him. Kingsale strained a groin muscle in the ninth inning of the Tigers' June 8th game in San Francisco. The 26-year-old wasn't playing particularly well when he suffered the injury, so if Andres Torres does well while Kingsale is on the disabled list, Detroit may try to send Kingsale to the minors when he's done with his DL stint.

The Tigers' originally called up OF-R Ernie Young to take Kingsale's roster spot, but last week they designated Young for assignment and recalled OF-R Andres Torres. We discussed Young this off-season when he signed a minor league deal with Detroit. His AAA numbers caught the Tigers' attention, but he only received a one week trial in the majors. Torres has demonstrated satisfactory skills at AAA and now needs regular playing time in the majors to take the next step forward in his development. Unfortunately, the only way Detroit is going to give him the at-bats he needs is if he can produce a hot streak on short notice.

While the Tigers' weren't in a position to contend when the season began, mismanagement has led them to a position where Mike Maroth, Jeremy Bonderman, and Adam Bernero are all in a position to replace Brian Kingman as the last 20 game loser. I believe Detroit will need to fiddle with their rotation to avoid having two of them hit that low and all three are pitching solidly.