Bligh

Madris

Madris failed to appear in the majors last year for the first time 2021 and wound up hitting .238/.328/.410 in 60 games for Triple-A Toledo. The 29-year-old former Pirates prospect has hit .204/.273/.286 with two homers and two steals in 228 career MLB plate appearances.

Baddoo likely would’ve made Detroit’s season-opening roster as their starting right fielder, in the wake of Parker Meadow’s nerve-related arm injury, had he not undergone surgery last month to repair a hamate fracture in his right hand. No other real surprises here among the latest round of cuts from Tigers camp, but several of the pitchers have a shot to make it to the Motor City in middle relief roles..

Madris appeared in 21 games at the big league level for the Tigers during the 2024 season, slashing .269/.324/.358 with a homer, five RBI and a 20/6 K/BB ratio across 75 plate appearances. He’ll get an opportunity during spring training to compete for a bench spot on the club’s Opening Day roster.

All three have the option to elect free agency and will presumably do so in the coming days after being removed from Detroit’s 40-man roster at the outset of the offseason. Both Madris and Vilade are merely emergency position player depth while Sammons made six relief appearances last year as a 29-year-old rookie.

Madris might be the addition if the Tigers opt to take Kerry Carpenter off the roster because of his hamstring injury. That’d be awfully costly, though, since Carpenter would be ineligible for the ALCS if he’s pulled from the roster prior to Game 5.

Madris has been shipped out to make room for former top prospect Spencer Torkelson to return to the majors ahead of Saturday’s game against the Yankees.

Madris knocked a base hit in the fourth inning, then doubled in the sixth before scoring on a single by Andy Ibáñez. Madris later came up in a big spot in the ninth, taking Hunter Harvey deep for a solo homer to bring the Tigers within a run before their comeback victory.

It should just be noted that Madris is the Tigers’ starting first baseman. Since being called up on July 21st, he’s gone 9-for-26 (.346) with three runs scored and one RBI. The Tigers continue to hit him in the middle of the order and likely will slot him there every day until he cools off. Spencer Torkelson is starting to hit better in Triple-A, and he is looming as a threat to Madris’ playing time in the future, but fantasy managers in AL-only leagues can feel comfortable turning to Madris for the next couple of weeks if they need at-bats.

Urshela went 1-for-9 in the first two games of the series against Minnesota and he’ll take a day off for the series finale against the Twins. While the 32-year-old rests, Bligh Madris will hit fifth and play first base.

Madris is up and starting at first base against the Blue Jays on Sunday. The 28-year-old has hit 14 homers and stolen 17 bases in Triple-A this year, but fantasy managers shouldn’t rush out to see if those numbers translate to the highest level in 2024.