The Tigers waited as long as they could to make the move. After another hitless night in Wednesday's loss to the Astros, Jeimer Candelario left them no choice.
The club is sending Candelario to Triple-A Toledo until he comes back to life at the plate. The third baseman is hitting .192 with a .573 OPS through 38 games.
"We’re sending him back to Triple-A to go find his swing and find himself. He’s scuffling right now," Ron Gardenhire said. "We’ve been trying to hold off on this and see if he got going, but it's just not working out right now."
It's both tough news for Candelario and tough news for the Tigers, who are counting on the 25-year-old to be a key piece of their future. At this time last year, Candelario looked the part. He was hitting .286 with an .899 OPS at the same juncture of the season.
But he tailed off in the second half, hampered by a wrist injury, and hasn't been able to get back on track in 2019.
Lately, Gardenhire said, Candelario's offensive struggles have affected him on defense. He committed his third error of the season Wednesday night, second most on the team.
"You can see he’s lost at the plate, which he takes into the field a little. He's actually done a lot better this year I think, but he’s been a little sloppy lately and we're having a hard time getting his attention," Gardenhire said. "I think the hitting is bothering him and I think he understands that.
"So now it's go find yourself, find your swing. This guy is our future, one of our future guys.
Candelario, who went 0-4 with two strikeouts Wednesday night, is hitting .057 over the last nine games. His 46 strikeouts are the most on the team.
Discussing his demotion after the game, Candelario was typically upbeat.
"I’m going to be there for a short time, work hard to get my swing going and come back to help the team win," he said.
Asked if he was surprised by the news, Candelario said, "What do you want me to say? I can’t say nothing. They make decisions, and I’ll be working hard to come back."
The Tigers plan to make a corresponding roster move on Thursday. In the meantime, both Gordon Beckham and Ronny Rodriguez are options to man third base.