Detroit Tigers option Justyn-Henry Malloy to Triple-A Toledo after Little League Classic
Detroit Tigers rookie Justyn-Henry Malloy didn't play Sunday night against the New York Yankees in the MLB Little League Classic. After the showcase game, the Tigers optioned Malloy to Triple-A Toledo.
Malloy, a rookie designated hitter, hit .217 with eight home runs, 21 walks and 74 strikeouts in 57 games with the Tigers, posting a .698 OPS. The 24-year-old could return when rosters expand from 26 players to 28 players at the beginning of September.
He has already spent 181 games in Toledo in 2023-24.
The Tigers had to option a player before Tuesday's series opener against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, thus taking the roster from 27 players to 26 players. The Tigers and Yankees were allowed to carry a 27th player for the Little League Classic, which the Tigers used to reinstate Riley Greene from the injured list.
MORE ABOUT HIM: Justyn-Henry Malloy brings patience at the plate and in personality to Tigers
Without Malloy, the Tigers have only four right-handed hitting position players, not including the two catchers: Javier Báez, Andy Ibáñez, Spencer Torkelson and Matt Vierling.
Malloy had an above-average 10.3% walk rate in his first stint with the Tigers, along with an elite 19.1% chase rate, but he had below-average marks in average exit velocity (86.9 mph), whiff rate (36.2%) and strikeout rate (36.3%).
He didn't chase bad pitches, but he also didn't make enough in-zone contact.
J-HEN: Tigers' Justyn-Henry Malloy has Hank Aaron's No. 44, thanks to Gary Jones
Malloy spent 37 of his 57 games as the designated hitter. He played 19 games, starting just 14 of them, in left field. As a left fielder, Malloy was worth minus-2 defensive runs saved and minus-4 outs above average in 116⅔ innings.
In early June, Malloy made his MLB debut with the Tigers.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
Listen to our weekly Tigers show "Days of Roar" every Monday afternoon on demand at freep.com, Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Justyn-Henry Malloy optioned to Triple-A Toledo by Detroit Tigers
