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Detroit Tigers claim outfielder T.J. Hopkins off waivers from San Francisco Giants

evan petzold, detroit free press
·2 min read

LAKELAND, Fla. — The Detroit Tigers claimed outfielder T.J. Hopkins, who made his MLB debut last season, off waivers Tuesday from the San Francisco Giants.

Hopkins, 27, played 25 games for the Cincinnati Reds after debuting in early June, hitting .171 with zero home runs, two walks and 17 strikeouts. The Giants acquired him from the Reds in a mid-December trade for a player to be named later.

He was designated for assignment by the Giants on Feb. 13.

Left-handed reliever Kolton Ingram — claimed off waivers from the Los Angeles Angels just 15 days ago — was designated for assignment to create room for Hopkins on the 40-man roster.

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Cincinnati Reds center fielder T.J. Hopkins (26) celebrates after scoring in the ninth inning of the MLB National League game between the Cincinnati Reds and the LA Dodgers at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Tuesday, June 6, 2023. The Reds won 9-8 on a walk-off, bases loaded, single off the bat of shortstop Matt McLain (9) in the bottom of the ninth.

Hopkins, a right-handed hitter, struggled in the big leagues but raked for Triple-A Louisville in the Reds' organization last season, hitting .308 with 16 home runs, 55 walks (14% walk rate) and 94 strikeouts (23.9% strikeout rate) across 94 games.

His .411 on-base percentage stood out.

He played right field (500⅓ innings), left field (204 innings) and center field (nine innings) at the Triple-A level in 2023, but he has spent more time in left than right throughout his minor-league career, spanning four seasons.

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Cincinnati Reds right fielder TJ Hopkins (26) hits a single against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the tenth inning at PNC Park in Pittsburgh on Aug. 13, 2023. The Reds won 6-5 in ten innings.
Cincinnati Reds right fielder TJ Hopkins (26) hits a single against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the tenth inning at PNC Park in Pittsburgh on Aug. 13, 2023. The Reds won 6-5 in ten innings.

The Reds drafted Hopkins in 2019's ninth round, at No. 264 overall, out of South Carolina. He has two minor-league options remaining, so he can be optioned to Triple-A Toledo.

Hopkins joins Mark Canha as one of just two right-handed hitting outfield-only players on the 40-man roster. The Tigers already have four left-handed hitting true outfielders: Akil Baddoo, Kerry Carpenter, Riley Greene and Parker Meadows.

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

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers claim outfielder T.J. Hopkins off waivers from Giants