KANSAS CITY, MO – Zack Short is back with the Detroit Tigers for the second time in five days.
The Tigers acquired Short in a trade with the Washington Nationals and added him to their 26-man roster for two days before designating him for assignment. Three days later, after clearing waivers and electing free agency, Short re-signed with the Tigers on a one-year MLB contract.
The 30-year-old started for the Tigers on Friday, May 8, at shortstop, batting ninth for the opener of a three-game series against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium.
“We’re going to face two lefties [against the Royals],” manager A.J. Hinch said before Friday’s game, referencing Kris Bubic on Friday and Noah Cameron on Sunday. “Bringing Shorty back brings us another infielder, a good defender and a right-handed hitter.”
This time, Short has replaced third baseman Jace Jung.
In eight games, Jung hit .167 (1-for-6) with two walks and one strikeout, spanning eight plate appearances. The 25-year-old made smart swing decisions and put the ball in play at elite rates in a designated hitter-only role, as the Tigers refused to play him on defense.
Defense is Short’s calling card.
He is primarily a shortstop, but he has extensive experience at second and third base.
His offense is the reason to be concerned, hitting .171 with an 11.7% walk rate, 29% strikeout rate and .564 OPS throughout his six-year MLB career, spanning 243 games.
The Tigers cut Short because they thought second baseman Gleyber Torres would avoid a stint on the injured list, only to re-sign Short when Torres missed three games in a row and landed on the 10-day injured list with a left oblique strain.
The oblique strain is mild.
But the persistent problem kept Torres from playing in games, so the Tigers placed him on the injured list – rather than competing with only 12 available position players.
“It’s always hard to play short,” Hinch said, with Torres eligible to return to the Tigers as early as Thursday against the New York Mets at Citi Field. “The symptoms were pretty consistent but also manageable – until not. He was still feeling it. We thought it would resolve itself, including Gleyber. The diagnosis is he’s got a little something going on in there.”
Before 2026, Short played 177 games for the Tigers from 2021-2023.
The Tigers acquired Short from the Chicago Cubs for outfielder Cameron Maybin at the 2020 trade deadline. He made his MLB debut on April 21, 2021.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Zack Short signs MLB contract with Detroit Tigers; Jace Jung optioned
Reporting by Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
