These moves were coming, one way or another. That they came when they did was partly out of necessity. Injuries have left the Tigers with holes in their rotation and their infield.
"Right now," Al Avila said Monday, "we feel they’re ready to contribute."
They feel this way based on how the trio performed in spring training and summer camp. Based on how each of them has progressed since the season began. And based on the reviews Avila has received from the club's alternate training site in Toledo -- two reviews, in particular.
"Alan Trammell, before going home for break, gave me a really detailed report on all the players there, including Skubal, Mize and Paredes, as far as their progress," Avila said. "Jim Leyland, who was just at Comerica Park for the weekend, was also in Toledo watching these guys pitch and play and made the recommendations.
"That’s in addition to the daily reports we get from the staff that’s working there day in and day out, so we felt they were ready."
No time like now to find out. Mize, the top right-handed pitching prospect in baseball, will start Wednesday against the White Sox. Skubal, one of the top left-handed pitching prospects, will start Tuesday. And Paredes is expected to be in the lineup Monday.
They couldn't control their big-league arrival, but they'll determine how long they stick around.
"It’s performance-based from here on out," Avila said. "When we bring these guys up, we want them up to stay."
Of the three, Skubal's call-up was the most surprising. Though he dominated in spring training, he missed all of summer camp due to COVID-19. He got back on the mound less than a month ago. Avila acknowledged the Tigers would have preferred to give him more time to build up his arm, but the club badly needs starters.
And Skubal has proven he's ready.
"The guys have said that he’s been very sharp," Avila said. "Best-case scenario would have been to extend him a little bit more so he could go longer into games, but as far as his overall health, overall stuff, control and command, he’s been spot-on. ... As long as he’s pitching with the quality that he was pitching with down there, he’ll be fine."
Paredes was something of a surprise himself. He's just 21 years old. But he's drawn rave reviews in Toledo and the Tigers need more offense after C.J. Cron went down with a knee injury. Paredes can play third base, shortstop or second.
"We all feel that he’s a well-rounded player," Avila said. "He was hitting the ball very well in Toledo. We feel he’s a good hitter, we feel he’s got power, we feel he plays really good defense at third base. But he’s also very versatile.
"We’re adding a bat, basically. We lost Cron to injury and we felt that, hey, we need some offense and let’s give the kid a chance. He’s very young, but he’s hit at all levels. Hopefully he can give us some offense the rest of the way."
So far, the Tigers have actually hit the ball pretty well, better than expected. It's their starting pitching that's let them down. They have the highest rotation ERA (7.46) in the majors, and it's not all that close. But that was a rotation comprised mostly of spare parts.
This is what they'll roll out the next five days: Matthew Boyd, Tarik Skubal, Casey Mize, Spencer Turnbull, Michael Fulmer. Avila said he's so excited to see his young guns in action that he decided to travel with the Tigers to Chicago and watch from the cramped press box at Guaranteed Rate Field.
"I’m excited and I am nervous at the same time," he said. "I’ll be on the edge of my seat, I’m sure like a lot of fans who will be watching. It is an exciting time for the organization to see three of the top prospects up here and start competing. It’ll be a great process and hopefully a few more guys will be coming along in the not-too-distant future."
A future that's finally coming into focus.