Tigers' 13-man position player group set after Baddoo, Kreidler and Malloy are sent out

Lakeland, Fla. — The roster cuts came in two waves on Thursday. The second wave came after the Tigers' 10-5 spring loss to the Mets.

Manager AJ Hinch announced the outfielder Akil Baddoo and infielder Ryan Kreidler had been optioned to Triple-A Toledo and outfielder Justyn-Henry Malloy was reassigned to minor-league camp.

Those cuts mean the Tigers' position-player group is set, barring any injuries this week. The roster is down to 31.

Kreidler and Malloy both had outstanding camps and are expected to be part of the mix in Detroit at some point this season. Kreidler, who played nearly flawlessly at shortstop, slashed .355/.500/.548 with two homers and a 1.046 OPS. Malloy got off to a slow start but has hit the ball well the last couple of weeks.

It was a rough camp for Baddoo, who went 3-for-25 with 13 strikeouts and two walks.

In the morning wave, the club reassigned pitchers Trey Wingenter and Andrew Vasquez, catcher Anthony Bemboom, infielders Keston Hiura and Ryan Vilade and outfielder Bligh Madris to minor-league camp.

All those players, all non-roster invitees, had successful camps.

"The decisions are getting harder and harder," Hinch said. "But I wanted a different feel in the room. There had to be a gap in time where it feels like the room is getting smaller, less bodies. ... It has to start feeling more real and real that the season is going to be here."

The Tigers will break camp on Sunday and head to Tampa to play the final spring game at Tropicana Field before flying to Chicago to start the season.

"I am proud of the group that signed here," Hinch said. "They all showed well and they're all likely to play in the big leagues at some point."

Hiura, a first baseman, slashed .323/.353/.613 with a pair of home runs and a .966 OPS. He can opt out of his minor-league deal with the Tigers, though earlier he said, “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

Said Hinch: "He can hit. He demonstrated that. His bat quality was good. The reality of his contribution at the Major-League level is going to be centered around his bat. His path is as a right-handed bat where we could use him in a variety of roles."

Madris slashed .350/.519/.700, also with a pair of home runs and a 1.2 OPS.

Vasquez, a left-handed slider specialist, pitched 6⅓ scoreless innings this spring, but walked six hitters. Wingenter allowed a couple of runs in 5⅓ innings but also struck out six.

"We need strikes and that's been both of their issues from time to time," Hinch said. "Specifically Wing. He's a major league reliever when he's in the strike zone. And he's a high-pitch count, volatile reliever when he's not. That has been the development project with him and that continues."

Five more players still need to be trimmed before the season opener next week. Only one non-roster players remains in camp: right-handed pitcher Drew Anderson.

Here’s a look at where the roster stands:

▶ Starting pitchers (5): Tarik Skubal, Kenta Maeda, Jack Flaherty, Matt Manning, Casey Mize, Reese Olson.

▶ The battle: Manning, Mize, Olson for two spots.

▶ Relief pitchers (8): Alex Lange, Jason Foley, Shelby Miller, Will Vest, Tyler Holton (LHP), Andrew Chafin (LHP), Joey Wentz (LHP), Beau Brieske, Alex Faedo, Drew Anderson, Miguel Diaz, Sawyer Gipson-Long (injured).

▶ The battle: Wentz, Brieske, Faedo, Anderson, Diaz for two spots.

▶ Catchers (2): Jake Rogers, Carson Kelly.

▶ Infield (6): Spencer Torkelson, Colt Keith, Javier Báez, Gio Urshela, Andy Ibanez, Zach McKinstry.

▶ Outfield (5): Riley Greene, Parker Meadows, Mark Canha, Kerry Carpenter, Matt Vierling.

chris.mccosky@detroitnews.com

@cmccosky