3 Players Most Likely To Replace Nick Castellanos At Third Base
By Dan Jenkins
@DanTJenkins
The Detroit Tigers have been relatively lucky this season when it comes to avoiding catastrophic injuries.
J.D. Martinez was on the disabled list for several weeks, but he's back now and making a big difference. Unfortunately, Jordan Zimmermann is back on the DL, but Daniel Norris will return to the rotation next week to replace him.
Now, third baseman Nick Castellanos is expected to miss a month or more after fracturing his hand in Saturday's win over the New York Mets. The Tigers have a few internal options to make up for his absence, but they could also make a move to acquire another infielder if those options don't pan out.
Castellanos will be tough to replace -- the 24 year old was having a breakout year, batting .286 with 18 home runs.
Here's who Al Avila and the Tigers will most likely use to replace Castellanos for the time being:
Casey McGehee
2016 statistics with Triple-A Toledo:
109 games, .322 batting average, 5 home runs, 49 RBIs
McGehee has played almost 600 games at third base in the MLB with six different teams. He doesn't hit with much power, but he could be a decent short-term replacement for Castellanos.
Andrew Romine
2016 statistics with Detroit:
73 games, .222 batting average, 1 home run, 6 RBIs
Romine is the Tigers' ultimate utility player. He has even said that he wants to play all nine positions in one game at some point in his career. But, we know what we'll get from Romine -- solid fielding and an occasionally productive bat.
JaCoby Jones
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2016 statistics with Triple-A Toledo
57 games, .222 batting average, 3 home runs, 16 RBIs
If the Tigers want to make some waves and take a chance, they'll call up the kid who they acquired at the trade deadline for Joakim Soria in 2015. Jones hasn't been great in Toledo, but it might be worth it to see what he can do at the major-league level.
Though primarily a center fielder in Triple-A, Jones has also spent time in the infield throughout his career. He may get a shot in September as a call-up if Castellanos is still injured.
