DETROIT – “I wonder what Victor Reyes is up to these days.”
That’s a real thought that crossed my mind this week, and it sent me down a rabbit hole of checking up on recent longtime Detroit Tigers role players.
I don’t miss Reyes, or any of the other names on this list. They all had their moments (some more than others), but the Tigers are in a much better place now.
Anyway, I was curious and did the research, so I figured I’d share these incredibly relevant findings with my fellow degenerate Tigers fans.
Victor Reyes
It seemed like Reyes was with the Tigers forever, but it was actually only five seasons. There were times when he looked like he could be more than a fourth outfielder and times when he shouldn’t have been on the roster at all.
In the end, he was mostly fine during a dark era of Tigers baseball.
Reyes spent last season with the White Sox’s Triple-A affiliate (and hit 20 homers!), but now he’s with the Lotte Giants of the KBO in Korea. He has 11 hits in seven games.
Harold Castro
I feel like you can’t mention Reyes without immediately pivoting to Castro. These two guys were co-captains of the “We Get Regular At-Bats Because the Tigers Don’t Have Anyone Else (commonly known as WGRABBTDHAE)” club.
Castro spent 2023 with the Colorado Rockies, but he was granted free agency in October.
He most recently played with the Caracas Lions of the Venezuelan Winter League. It appears he’s now preparing for a season with the Toros de Tijuana of the Mexican Baseball League.
Daz Cameron
Cameron was a fun prospect because he had such great raw tools, but he couldn’t even hit enough to stick around in bad Tigers lineups.
He was selected off waivers by the Baltimore Orioles in 2022 and then granted free agency.
The Oakland Athletics signed him in November, and he’s playing for the Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators.
Eric Haase
There were some really good times with Haase in Detroit. I’ll never forget his game-tying grand slam in the ninth inning against the Twins in 2021.
But the Tigers chose Carson Kelly over Haase late last season, and that’s currently working out very well.
Haase ultimately landed with the Milwaukee Brewers this offseason and is listed on their Triple-A roster. He didn’t play in last week’s three-game series against the Toledo Mud Hens.
Considering he hit 36 homers for the Tigers from 2021-2022, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Haase get some MLB at-bats this year.
Derek Hill
The Tigers finally set their 2014 first-round pick free last year, and he spent some time with the Washington Nationals.
Now he’s at Triple-A Round Rock and hoping for a chance to join the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers at some point this season.
Hill went 0-for-3 with a walk, a hit-by-pitch, and two strikeouts in his first game. On-base machine.
Tyler Alexander
Alexander was selected off waivers by the Tampa Bay Rays this offseason, which means he will almost certainly have a relief appearance of, like, four shutout innings with seven strikeouts against the Tigers at some point this year.
Alexander was mostly fine throughout his time with the Tigers, but there’s not much strikeout upside, and the bullpen was extremely competitive this spring. He wasn’t going to be a factor.
In his first game with the Rays, Alexander allowed five earned runs on six hits, two walks, and two homers in five innings of relief against the Toronto Blue Jays. He struck out four.
Jose Cisnero
After three really strong seasons in Detroit from 2020-2022, Cisnero struggled last season, and the two sides decided to part.
Cisnero signed with the Los Angeles Angels and has already made three appearances in their first four games, allowing six base runners and three earned runs in 2.2 innings.
Pretty much all of that damage came in the first game, though, as Cisnero has thrown a pair of scoreless innings since, with three strikeouts and two hits allowed.
He currently leads MLB with two wild pitches.
Michael Fulmer
There was a time when Fulmer certainly didn’t qualify as a “role player.” He won Rookie of the Year with the Tigers in 2016 and then made the All-Star team in 2017.
Sadly, injuries derailed Fulmer’s career as a starter, and he became a really effective reliever for two seasons before struggling a bit with the Cubs in 2023.
Fulmer had surgery on his pitching elbow in October and then signed as a free agent with the Boston Red Sox in February. He’s currently on their Triple-A roster, but he won’t play this season.