After spending more than three weeks on the injured list with a left oblique strain, Detroit Tigers second baseman Gleyber Torres ended the month on a relatively high note. He was assigned to Triple-A Toledo on May 30 to begin a minor league rehab assignment. According to multiple reports, Torres could be activated within the next week.
Torres’ impending return coincides with an unexpected losing skid by the Tigers. They have lost 21 of their last 25 games, falling to 22-38 — the worst record in the American League. According to FanGraphs’ playoff odds, only the Kansas City Royals and Los Angeles Angels have worse chances of reaching the postseason in the AL.
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Torres, who was slashing .259/.389/.328 before the injury, is an intriguing trade candidate if the Tigers decide to sell before the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
Most of the trade rumors surrounding the Tigers have — and will continue to — focus on two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal.
Torres, like Skubal, is eligible for free agency at the end of this season and could give a shot in the arm to a team that values defense and plate discipline, and lacks offense from the second base position.
Enter the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Blue Jays’ primary second baseman, Ernie Clement, has been worth minus-5 OAA, the worst mark in MLB at the position. Defensive Runs Saved also rates Clement as a below-average defender at the position.
Fortunately for the Blue Jays, Clement has experience at every infield position. His .763 OPS would be a marked improvement over George Springer, who owns a .648 OPS as Toronto’s primary DH.
Torres is not a slugger, but that shouldn’t deter the Blue Jays, who rode a contact-oriented approach all the way to the World Series in 2025. His 15.3 percent strikeout rate is among the lowest of his nine-year MLB career, and would fit right in with the Blue Jays’ lineup.
Toronto currently holds the third and final AL Wild Card berth. The Tigers won’t give them one of their best players until president of baseball operations Scott Harris is convinced they can’t reach the postseason this year.
Unfortunately, at this rate, that might not take much time.
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