LAKELAND, Fla. — Ryan Kreidler didn't hold back.

"I think I should have made the team," Kreidler said Friday morning, "but it's out of my control. That's the attitude you have to have as a player, that you should make every team, and I do. I think I belong in the big leagues, and I think I'll be there when the time is right. All I can do is keep playing hard."

The Detroit Tigers optioned Kreidler, a 26-year-old shortstop who is considered the best defensive infielder in the organization, to Triple-A Toledo after Thursday's game at Joker Marchant Stadium, despite his success on both offense and defense throughout spring training.

Kreidler felt excited about his chances of making the Opening Day roster in the days leading up to the bad news. He thought he might be joining close friends Spencer Torkelson, Riley Greene and Parker Meadows in Chicago for Thursday's season opener against the White Sox.

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In reality, Kreidler was always on the outside looking in based on the construction of the projected roster after the Tigers signed veteran infielder Gio Urshela to a one-year, $1.5 million contract at the beginning of spring training.

Also, Kreidler is blocked by fellow shortstop Javier Báez.

"It was just the classic: The way the roster was constructed, there wasn't really a fit for me," Kreidler said. "Hard to hear as a player, but I understand the reasoning. That's never what you want to hear, though. I'm not going to say I'm not frustrated with it, but at the end of the day, it's not my decision and not really in my control. I'm just going to do what I can and keep playing."

Kreidler hit .355 with two home runs, eight walks and 10 strikeouts over 40 plate appearances in 18 games during spring training. He also spent 73 innings at shortstop, four innings at third base and three innings in center field.

"I think he's heading in the right direction," manager A.J. Hinch said Friday morning. "He's going to have to continue to hit and outperform the level. It's going to be competitive to see who's the next man up."

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Kreidler hasn't been a productive hitter for a consistent stretch since 2021, when he hit .270 with 22 home runs across 129 games for Double-A Erie (88 games) and Triple-A Toledo (41 games).

That was his last fully healthy season.

"I had the full offseason to work rather than to try and get healthy," said Kreidler, who underwent hand surgery in 2022 and core muscle surgery in 2023. "The other part is, I came into camp with a really solid plan and stuck to it. My routine is really good. My swing felt like it was in a consistent place most of the spring. The health is the No. 1 thing."

For the Tigers, Kreidler played 26 games in 2022 and 11 games in 2023. He has a .165 batting average with one home run, six walks and 29 strikeouts, though he has stepped to the plate just 102 times in his MLB career.

He expects to be a better hitter in 2024.

"I don't think I've changed all that much," Kreidler said. "Sometimes you play well, sometimes you don't play well. I never have believed that I have not been a good hitter or that I've been struggling. I think I've just been grinding through some things. ... When I'm available, I end up playing well as the season goes along. I'm excited to hopefully do that this year and build on the foundation of this spring."

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After Thursday's game, Kreidler received the bad news from Hinch and bench coach George Lombard. He didn't shy away from his opinion in that conversation either, explaining he thought he deserved to be on the Opening Day roster.

Hinch said Kreidler handled the situation like a professional.

"You can be frustrated and angry and disappointed in that moment," Hinch said. "How long it takes you to get over that and get back to being the best player you can be matters when you're talking about getting off to a good start."

Justyn-Henry Malloy meets Grim Reaper

Outfielder Justyn-Henry Malloy, a 24-year-old prospect, had an interesting way of describing the end-of-camp roster cuts.

He was eliminated from Opening Day roster contention after Thursday's game, alongside Kreidler and outfielder Akil Baddoo. The Tigers reassigned Malloy — a still-developing defender in left field — to minor-league camp, where he will prepare for his season in Triple-A Toledo.

"You just start seeing the Grim Reaper catch your boys," Malloy said Friday morning. "You don't want it to happen to you. There's like a sense of excitement, where you're like, 'OK, I'm giving myself a good chance.' There's also that sense of nervousness, when again, you're seeing that Reaper catch your boys, and you're like, 'Oh my god, is it after me next?' It just so happened the Grim Reaper was after me next."

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Last season, Malloy hit .277 with 23 home runs, 110 walks and 152 strikeouts in 136 games in Triple-A Toledo. He ranked second in the International League with 611 plate appearances.

At the beginning of spring training, the Tigers encouraged Malloy to be more aggressive early in counts because his early-count passiveness put him in too many two-strike counts last season, which led to an abundance of called-third strikeouts and in-zone whiff strikeouts.

"Changes the game plan up a little bit," Malloy said. "It's to be able to get some things out front early and try to do some damage."

Malloy, a right-handed hitter, had a .250 batting average with three home runs, four walks and 12 strikeouts over 48 plate appearances in 18 games during spring training. He spent all 81 innings in left field on defense.

He was told to be ready for his MLB debut, but it's unclear when that day will come.

"Same guy, be the same guy every day," Malloy said. "That's the mentality that I've always had. I just think the consistent guy that's the same guy every day will always give himself the best opportunity and the best shot, so I'll be the same guy."

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Why Detroit Tigers' Ryan Kreidler believes he should be on MLB roster