Two months ago, the Tigers sent a slumping Akil Baddoo to Triple-A Toledo. The 23-year-old is coming back to the bigs.
Detroit will recall Baddoo ahead of Tuesday's game against the Royals after returning Kody Clemens to Toledo. It wasn't a move that A.J Hinch expected to make on the club's 12-game road trip ahead of the All-Star break, but the lifeless Tigers offense needs a spark -- and Baddoo has been swinging a hot bat in Triple-A.
"The reality is, we are a better team with Akil Baddoo," Hinch said last week. "His energy, his vibe, his impact, his speed. We’ve gotta get more athletic, if I’m being very candid about our roster, and get our guys a little more active. I like a more active team and we’re a better team when we’re running the bases aggressively, and Akil fits into that."
Baddoo was a boon for the Tigers last season, a Rule-5 pick who took the majors by storm, weathered a midseason slump and finished the year as one of the club's most valuable players. But he struggled badly at the start of this season and was sent to Toledo in early May to fix his swing. Consider it fixed: Baddoo is hitting .438 over his last 13 games.
"When you send a guy down with a directive and say, ‘Hey, you gotta do this, this and this,’ and then he goes and does it, you gotta do your part in bringing him back and giving him the opportunity that he deserved on the front end," Hinch said.
Baddoo's return was delayed by an oblique injury he suffered shortly after his demotion. It took him longer than expected to get going, but recently he's looked more like himself.
As for when Baddoo would be back, Hinch said last week, "I doubt it’s on this road trip, but anything can happen." But that was during a six-game win streak for the Tigers and before their current four-game skid. Plans can change in a hurry.
Baddoo should see plenty of time at either corner outfield spot moving forward, as he tries to re-assert himself in Detroit's long-term plans.
"We want him to be Akil Baddoo and the player that we had last year, the energy, the at-bat quality. ... He’s part of our past, part of our present and part of our future and that has not changed despite the lengthy stay in Triple-A," said Hinch.
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