The Tigers made a pair of roster moves after Wednesday night’s win, and the biggest one was a clear sign Detroit is ready to move on from Jahmai Jones.
Before the series finale against the Athletics at Comerica Park, the club designated Jones for assignment and recalled catcher Eduardo Valencia from Triple-A Toledo, according to Tigers PR on X. Jones’ season had been trending this way for a while. In 2026, he hit just .137 with 13 hits in 95 at-bats, two home runs, seven RBIs and a .440 OPS, while posting a -1.2 WAR.
Jones had earned his spot on the roster with what he did last season, but that production never carried over. The bat that made him useful against left-handed pitching in 2025 – when he hit .288 with seven home runs against southpaws – simply hasn’t shown up this year.
That mismatch also fueled plenty of frustration with A.J. Hinch’s usage of Jones.
The Tigers repeatedly turned to him when a left-handed pitcher entered the game, often slotting him in for Kerry Carpenter. Too often, the move ended the same way: Jones making an out, and fans letting the manager know about it, both at the ballpark and online.
Detroit is making the change now as it keeps pushing in the playoff race, with its odds having climbed since June 1.
Valencia, 26, brings a much hotter bat from Toledo. He was hitting .267 with 16 home runs in 288 at-bats for the Mud Hens, and his arrival comes with All-Star catcher Dillon Dingler day-to-day after leaving Wednesday’s game and being replaced by Jake Rogers.
The Tigers still haven’t announced how long Dingler will be out, but his X-Rays on his hand came back negative after additional medical tests Thursday. For the moment, Valencia gives Detroit another option behind Rogers.
He also gives Hinch some flexibility. Valencia can catch, play first base and has even seen time as the designated hitter this season in Toledo, though he’s most often been behind the plate.
Valencia now joins Ben Malgeri and Hao-Yu Lee as players called up this season who remain on the MLB roster. And with Thursday night’s finale against the Athletics on deck, he could be in line for his first big league at-bat.
In Other News…
Three Years Later Scott Harris’ First Tigers Draft Faces Its Verdict
Three years after Scott Harris made his first draft at the helm, the Tigers are finally getting a clearer read on how that 2023 class is taking shape. The headliners still give the group its appeal: Max Clark has kept moving through the system, Max Anderson has shown real offensive progress, and Kevin McGonigle has advanced quickly enough to become one of the organizations most important young names.
The verdict is not complete, though, because the class has also been shaped by the usual draft-day uncertainty, especially on the pitching side. Hamm and Paul Wilson have both dealt with injury setbacks that have slowed their progress, which leaves the Tigers weighing upside against availability as the class enters a more meaningful stage of evaluation. [Read more 🡒]
How To Watch The MLB Draft As Tigers Pick Multiple Times Day 1
The 2026 MLB Draft will unfold over two days during All-Star Week in Philadelphia, with the first four rounds set for Saturday and the rest of the class coming off the board Sunday. For Tigers fans, the timing should make for a busy opening day, since Detroit is positioned to be in the mix multiple times before the draft even gets out of the early rounds.
Coverage starts on NBC and Peacock for the first 10 picks before moving to MLB Network and MLB.com for the rest, with the White Sox holding the No. 1 overall selection. A few clubs have also been hit with draft pick penalties for crossing the Competitive Balance Tax threshold, adding another layer to how the board could unfold, and the Tigers will be watching closely as their own Day 1 opportunities begin to stack up.
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