Detroit Tigers send 6 players to minor league camp in fourth round of roster cuts
LAKELAND, Fla. — The Detroit Tigers reassigned six players, including two pitchers who competed in the big leagues last season, to minor league camp Thursday morning in the fourth round of spring training cuts.
There are 34 players remaining in MLB spring training, with exactly one week until Opening Day.
The Tigers must cut eight more players — five pitchers and three position players — before next Thursday's Opening Day deadline to set the roster for the opener at the Chicago White Sox. The Tigers plan to take the final roster decisions to the deadline, specifically with the bullpen.
The six players sent to the minors: right-handed reliever Trey Wingenter, left-handed reliever Andrew Vasquez, catcher Anthony Bemboom, infielder Keston Hiura, outfielder Bligh Madris and outfielder Ryan Vilade.
ROSTER PREDICTION 4.0: Pitching competition is going down to the wire with Opening Day coming soon
Wingenter and Vasquez pitched for the Tigers last season.
Wingenter, 29, posted a 5.82 ERA with seven walks and 22 strikeouts across 17 innings in 17 relief appearances. Vasquez, 30, had a 3.35 ERA with 23 walks and 43 strikeouts across 48⅓ innings in 42 relief appearances.
[ MUST LISTEN: Make "Days of Roar" your go-to Detroit Tigers podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) ]
Both pitchers walked too many batters in spring training: Wingenter had four walks and six strikeouts across 5⅓ innings, and Vasquez had six walks and seven strikeouts across 6⅓ innings.
Hiura, 27, is trying to get back to the big leagues after playing 284 games for the Milwaukee Brewers from 2019-22. He hit .323 with two home runs, two walks and eight strikeouts in 34 plate appearances in spring training. Hiura will serve as the primary first baseman in Triple-A Toledo.
There isn't a clear path for Hiura to return to the majors unless Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson lands on the injured list.
READY TO RAKE: Tigers center fielder Parker Meadows: 'I definitely feel like I can hit' in MLB
Bemboom, 34, enters a three-catcher rotation in Toledo, joining 25-year-old Dillon Dingler and 27-year-old Donny Sands. The Tigers have finalized their two catchers — Jake Rogers and Carson Kelly — on the Opening Day roster.
Of the 34 players remaining in camp, two — right-handed reliever Drew Anderson and outfielder Justyn-Henry Malloy — are non-roster invitees. The other 32 players are members of the 40-man roster.
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: Detroit Tigers send 6 players to minor league camp
