Detroit Tigers' Andy Ibáñez returns from injured list; Ty Madden joins Triple-A Toledo

The Detroit Tigers welcomed back a key piece of their matchup-based style on offense for Tuesday's doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals at Comerica Park, activating infielder Andy Ibáñez from the injured list.

He has fully recovered from a left hamstring strain.

Ibáñez hasn't played since April 7, when he injured his hamstring while running to first base on a groundout in the final play of the game. The 31-year-old spent 22 days on the injured list before returning to the Tigers. He will start in Game 2 of Tuesday's doubleheader against left-hander Steven Matz.

"It's tough not to play him in Game 1, but I'll get him in there at some point because they've got three left-handed relievers," manager A.J. Hinch said. "He's a true weapon off the bench or in the game, and some of that is how he matches up against any left in the league, and the other part of that his preparedness and energy. Who doesn't love Andy Ibáñez? He'll bring a different element to our team, one that we've missed."

Before the injury, Ibáñez hit .267 with zero walks and six strikeouts in seven games, spanning 17 plate appearances. Twelve of the 17 plate appearances were against left-handed pitchers.

He is the Tigers' specialist against lefty pitchers.

Before returning, Ibáñez played three games for Triple-A Toledo on a rehab assignment. He hit .333 (3-for-9) with zero walks and one strikeouts in 10 plate appearances with the Mud Hens.

"It was pretty hard," Ibáñez said. "You see your teammates doing it, and you can't. It was pretty tough. Fortunately, we got over the hard moments, and thank God, we're back. ... Everything that I did was strengthening my hamstring."

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To create room, the Tigers optioned infielder Buddy Kennedy to Triple-A Toledo after he spent 10 days in the big leagues. Kennedy, 25, played in six games, hitting .200 with one home run, two walks and four strikeouts in 13 plate appearances.

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He spent time at second base and third base.

"He didn't do anything wrong," Hinch said. "He and Andy offer similar strengths when it comes to off the bench, who they match up against, second and third base, the pitch-hit. The quality of at-bat for Buddy was really good. His defense was excellent. ... This one was a little bit of bad luck on how we're constructing the roster, and we chose to go a different direction. I told him to be ready."

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The return of Ibáñez could push utility player Matt Vierling into a primary role in the outfield in the immediate future, though he started at third base for Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader.

Vierling has spent more of his time at third base, rather than in the outfield, since Gio Urshela suffered a right hamstring strain April 19 while running to first base on a groundout.

Urshela remains more than a week away from returning to the Tigers and still needs to begin a rehab assignment, but whenever he comes back, the Tigers could be faced with an extremely difficult roster decision, especially if rookie outfielder Wenceel Pérez keeps crushing against right-handed pitchers.

If that's the case, Zach McKinstry — a left-handed hitter — could be in jeopardy of losing his spot no the roster.

"He's going to go with us on the trip to continue his baseball activity," Hinch said of Urshela. "We'll inch him forward with whatever he can handle. We're not going to rush him, but we're going to push him. He's out doing different activities. He's running well. He's fielding well. He's taking his BP. That will continue until we think he's ready to go on a rehab assignment."

Matt Manning called up

The Tigers elevated right-hander Matt Manning, armed with 47 starts in his MLB career, from Triple-A Toledo as the 27th man for Tuesday's doubleheader. The 26-year-old will start Game 2 of the doubleheader.

"It's so nice to have the luxury of having him," Hinch said. "I know it's hard for him and his travel, the bounce in, bounce out. For us, from a competitive standpoint, it's pretty awesome to be able to give him the opportunity. We know he's going to be prepared. He fits right in and comes ready to pitch."

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Manning was sent to Triple-A Toledo at the end of spring training, but he has already started two games for the Tigers in doubleheaders this season: April 4 against the New York Mets and April 13 against the Minnesota Twins. He has a 2.92 ERA with six walks and 10 strikeouts across 12⅓ innings.

Manning also owns a 3.86 ERA with four walks and 18 strikeouts across 14 innings in three games (two starts) with the Mud Hens.

"Matty told me he's had four starts," Hinch said, "and they've all been doubleheaders somewhere, whether it's our doubleheaders or Triple-A's doubleheaders. He's pretty sure there's going to be a doubleheader next week somewhere."

Ty Madden's splitter, promotion

The Tigers promoted right-hander Ty Madden, the No. 32 overall pick in the 2021 draft, from Double-A Erie to Triple-A Toledo. He posted a 2.55 ERA with three walks and 22 strikeouts across 17⅔ innings in four starts for the SeaWolves.

Madden added a splitter — replacing his changeup — to take down left-handed hitters. This year's splitter, sitting at 84 mph, has lower spin with lower velocity compared to last year's changeup. The splitter generates plenty of in-zone whiffs but struggles to get chase.

As a result, Madden held left-handers to a .194 batting average with a .468 OPS during his four starts in Double-A Erie. (Right-handers, by the way, hit .152 with a .473 OPS.) In the past, left-handed hitters have crushed Madden for contact and power.

The Tigers sent Madden to the Double-A level, where he finished last season, coming out of spring training because he needed to improve against left-handed hitters before advancing to Triple-A Toledo.

Madden is the Tigers' No. 5 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.

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

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers' Andy Ibáñez returns from IR; Buddy Kennedy demoted