Eddys

Leonard

Leonard spent 2022-24 on the 40-man rosters of the Dodgers and then the Tigers, but he never has gotten a chance to play in the majors. The 25-year-old hit .239/.304/.435 with 20 homers and 11 steals for the Braves’ Triple-A affiliate last season. The odds are still good that he’ll log some MLB bench time at some point, but a sustained career seems unlikely.

It didn’t take long for Leonard to find a new opportunity as he heads to Atlanta as extra organizational infield depth. The 24-year-old was cut loose earlier this week by the Tigers after batting .253/.320/.435 with 11 homers and nine steals in 82 games last year in the minors.

It’s a little bit of a surprise to see Leonard let go, as the 24-year-old has had success in the minors; including a .263/.326/.455 slash with Triple-A Toledo last year. One can’t help but wonder if this means Leonard may be heading to play overseas.

No real surprises here among the latest cuts for Detroit. Leonard is probably the closest to contributing at the highest level after batting .263/.326/.455 with 10 homers and seven steals across 282 plate appearances last year at Triple-A Toledo. Flores, no relation to the Giants first baseman, was limited to just 20 appearances last year in the minors due to injury, but was a highly-touted pitching prospect just two years ago.

Leonard was non-tendered in November but the Tigers will bring back the 24-year-old after he slashed .263/.326/.455 with 10 homers, 26 RBI, and seven stolen bases in 282 plate appearances at Triple-A Toledo. He could get a chance at filling a backup infielder role in Detroit if he has a solid season in the minors in 2025 and he could make $760,000 if he gets MLB at-bats.

All three players had been designated for assignment on Tuesday as the Tigers attempted to clear some room on their 40-man roster, so it’s not shocking that none of the players were tendered contracts. Leonard actually had a decent season in 67 games at Triple-A Toledo in 2024 — hitting .263/.326/.455 with 10 homers, 26 RBI and seven swipes in 282 plate appearances — but never got an opportunity at the big-league level. It may need to be a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training, but Leonard shouldn’t have any difficulty finding another opportunity.

It’s a bit of housekeeping for Detroit as they manage to clear three spots on their 40-man roster to shield some of their better prospects from next month’s Rule 5 Draft.

Leonard was reportedly in the running for a bench spot with Detroit, but the club ultimately will send him down to Triple-A to start the season. The 23-year-old posted a .904 OPS in 40 games with Triple-A Toledo in 2023, so there’s likely a chance he gets an opportunity down the road barring an injury.

Leonard is the only one out of the three yet to make his major league debut. The 23-year-old was traded to the Tigers last summer after he was jettisoned off the Dodger’s 40-man roster. Leonard posted a .302/.374/.530 with eight homers across 171 plate appearances at Triple-A Toledo. He would give the Tigers more roster flexibility as he can play multiple spots on the infield dirt.

The Dodgers had designated Leonard for assignment earlier in the week and were willing to flip him for anything they could get, and the Tigers took advantage. The 22-eyar-old has hit .254/.327/.411 with 11 homers and 44 RBI in 388 plate appearances. He’ll report to Triple-A Toledo.