A.J. Hinch explains Detroit Tigers' decision to cut Jonathan Schoop
The Detroit Tigers were ready to move on.
The Tigers, in an effort to balance their lineup offensively and defensively, parted ways with infielder Jonathan Schoop. The 11-year MLB veteran was officially designated for assignment by the Tigers — still owed about $3.5 million — before Saturday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Comerica Park.
Schoop, who joined the Tigers for the 2020 season, learned of the organization's decision to cut him after Friday's 12-2 loss to the Blue Jays in a meeting with manager A.J. Hinch and president of baseball operations Scott Harris.
"There are days this job is harder than others," Hinch said. "It's been a rough year for Jonathan. It's been a rough stretch counting into last year. But you never love having that conversation. We made the decision to move on from him and give the opportunity to other people."
The Tigers also optioned right-hander Alex Faedo to Triple-A Toledo, opening a spot on the 26-man roster to activate center fielder Riley Greene from the 10-day injured list. Faedo, who posted a 6.98 ERA in six starts with the Tigers, will work as a starting pitcher with the Mud Hens.
Greene missed nearly 40 days with a stress reaction in his left fibula.
"That was a tough one for me," Greene said of Schoop's departure. "He's a great dude and really cares about his teammates. He's probably one of the best teammates that I've played with so far. It sucks, but it's part of the business. I hate to see a guy like him go because he meant so much to this team."
Schoop, 31, hit .213 with zero home runs, seven RBIs, 13 walks, 37 strikeouts in 55 games this season with the Tigers. He hit .202 with 11 homers, 38 RBIs, 19 walks and 107 strikeouts in 131 games last season.
He had a combined .559 OPS in the 2022-23 seasons.
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"As a style of player, it's a lot of power and there's some swing-and-miss and there's some chase," Hinch said. "He worked really hard to control the strike zone. He started trending in that way, but the power went away.
"He had a hard time with the consistency part of it despite a little bit of growth in walk rate and zone control. Overall, I think he's the type of player who needs a lot of at-bats in order to get the good and the bad. We didn't have those at-bats."
Schoop lost his role as the everyday second baseman at the beginning of the 2023 season, transitioning into a platoon role against left-handed pitchers. He also played more third base than second base.
Hinch praised the former All-Star for handling the situation with a team-first mentality.
"Performance-wise, he was not at his best, but attitude-wise, as a teammate, as a person, as a player, you couldn't ask for a lot more out of him," Hinch said. "He was given a tough situation that he'd never been in before as a bench player, platoon player and moved a position. And he handled it like a true pro."
The Tigers have five outfielders on the active roster in Greene, Akil Baddoo, Kerry Carpenter, Jake Marisnick and Matt Vierling. Baddoo and Greene returned from the injured list Friday and Saturday, respectively.
A healthy outfield, for the first time in a long time, allows utility player Zach McKinstry to shift back into his natural positions at second base and third base. Vierling is expected to get some in-game reps at the same infield positions coming out of the All-Star break, allowing the Tigers to keep his bat in the lineup.
"Quite honestly, it just comes down to choosing who you're going to give the opportunity to," Hinch said. "There are more decisions to come. This is not going to be the end of the roster configuration as we move forward. I think it was time for us to move in a different direction."
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Welcome back, Beau
By cutting Schoop, the Tigers cleared a spot on the 40-man roster to activate right-hander Beau Brieske from the 60-day injured list. He hasn't pitched for the Tigers since July 12, 2022, because of three injuries: forearm soreness, biceps tendinitis and upper arm discomfort.
All three were related to right ulnar nerve entrapment. After every test, the doctors told Brieske he didn't have any structural damage, such as a torn ligament. Finally, a nerve hydrodissection procedure alleviated his symptoms.
"It feels really good," Brieske said. "It's been almost a year since I last pitched. Getting an idea of what was going on the whole time was a big step. ... I didn't really know what was going on."
The Tigers plan to utilize Brieske as a multi-inning reliever in the middle of games to bridge the gap between the starters and high-leverage relievers. Hinch didn't rule out his return to the starting rotation in the future.
Brieske for now will operate out of the bullpen.
"He was super-excited to get here," Hinch said. "We gave him a lengthy rehab stint so he could gain that confidence and know that he's healthy and ready to go. He got 30 days to get himself right."
Brieske registered a 4.19 ERA last season with 25 walks and 54 strikeouts across 81⅔ innings in 15 starts. He hasn't pitched for the Tigers since spring training, when he had a 9.28 ERA across 10⅔ innings in six games.
"I was going out there playing through pain," Brieske said of spring training. "We were playing the pain management game the best we could. We were trying everything that we could."
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Upon solving the injury, Brieske was able to focus on executing pitches rather than the pain in his arm.
He posted a 2.70 ERA with seven walks and 12 strikeouts over 13⅓ innings in 11 games during his rehab assignment with High-A West Michigan (two games) and Triple-A (nine games).
"Whatever I need to do, I'm going to go out there and still be a pitcher," Brieske said. "The role may be different than something I've done before, but that doesn't mean that pitching is going to be any different. I'm going to be a pitcher, execute pitches, execute my pitches and get outs."
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: A.J. Hinch explains Detroit Tigers' move to cut Jonathan Schoop
