A beloved player amongst the Detroit Tigers players, coaches and fanbase had to make way for another on Tuesday, July 28.
The Tigers reinstated shortstop/center fielder Javier Báez from the 60-day injured list ahead of Tuesday's game against the Baltimore Orioles
. Detroit had to clear a roster spot on both the 26-man and 40-man roster since Báez was removed when he was placed on the 60-day list in June.On Monday night following an 8-5 loss to the Orioles, manager A.J. Hinch and president of baseball operations Scott Harris sat down with backup catcher Jake Rogers and let him know he would be designated for assignment.
Rogers, 31, has been a member of the Tigers' organization since he came over in the trade package for Justin Verlander from the Houston
Astros in 2017. He made his major league debut with Detroit in 2019 and proceeded to appear in 362 games across six different seasons.
"Jake has been here as long as I have been here," Hinch said. "Scott, Jake and I met last night and did everything to walk down memory lane to just explain the timing and how decisions get made."
Eduardo Valencia, who was recalled from Triple-A Toledo on Monday as the replacement for the injured Kerry Carpenter, will now serve as the backup catcher behind All-Star Dillon Dingler.
The Tigers believe Valencia will do a better job than Rogers at maximizing the roster spot moving forward, especially as a hitter.
"We have been very consistent with giving opportunity when we feel like it is earned," Hinch said. "Obviously, we love what Valencia did when he was up here. We wanted to try to maximize the roster spot as best we could. Jake would admit it himself, it hasn't been an easy road for him performance-wise and we needed to make a call."
In 2026, Rogers hit .161 (15-for-93) with two home runs and six RBIs across 110 plate appearances. For his Tigers career, Rogers carried a .197 batting average and .649 OPS with 47 home runs and 138 RBIs in 1,209 plate appearances.
Rogers handled the bulk of catching duty in 2023 and 2024 as the team's starting catcher, appearing in 209 of his 362 games in those two seasons. He had his most productive year at the plate in 2023, hitting 21 home runs with a league-average .730 OPS.
"Two things can exist at the same time," Hinch said. "One, we can be super thankful and enjoy the time that we have with Jake. But also make a decision to try to help us take a step forward and use that roster spot in a better way."
The Tigers have a seven-day window to trade Rogers as a DFA'd player, or he will hit waivers. If he is claimed off waivers by another team, Rogers will have to be added to that team's roster. Since Rigers has more than five years of MLB service time, he cannot be outright waived. If he is not claimed or traded, he will become a free agent.
Though he was supplanted as the Tigers' main catcher and had his struggles offensively, Rogers still won over the hearts of Tigers fans with his Texas demeanor, being the team's designated position-player pitcher in mop-up duty, his exuberant facial hair, coining the phrase "don't let the Tigers get hot" during the improbable 2024 run and serving as the personal catcher to Tarik Skubal during his rise to a two-time American League Cy Young winner. He was also a popular player amongst his teammates.
"There's two sides of this," Hinch said. "There's the personal togetherness and how much he means to everybody personally. And then the professional business. Performance-wise, we wanted to see a little bit more in the role and on the days that you play and the days you don't play. There is a lot that goes into it."
The on-field performance had to take priority for the Tigers. Valencia has impressed with the bat so far, with five hits in 12 MLB at-bats, and has consistently grown as a defensive catcher in the eyes of the coaches.
"There has been a lot of work behind the scenes in Triple-A to get him ready for this spot," Hinch said.
ContactJared Ramsey at jramsey@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Why Detroit Tigers decided to move on from catcher Jake Rogers
