Chicago White Sox catcher Jake Rogers planned to wear navy blue catching gear for his first-ever game against the Detroit Tigers.
It wasn’t a sentimental decision – he just didn’t have his preferred Mizuno gear in White Sox colors.
“Mizuno on a weekend, it was a little tough getting stuff in,” Rogers said. “So I’m going to be wearing dark navy gear [Saturday]. I hope no one gets too mad at me.”
It’s one of the many effects of Rogers’ recent tour of the American League, as he has worn the hats of four different teams over the last 16 days.
First came the trade from the Tigers to the Baltimore Orioles on July 30 that kicked off Detroit’s deadline sell off. Then came the deadline day trade from Baltimore to the Boston Red Sox after just three games with the Orioles, one that sent catcher Adley Rutschman to Boston in the deal. And then Boston put Rogers on waivers when Rutschman came off the injured list, allowing the White Sox to pick up the former Tiger on Friday, Aug. 14, in time for a crucial series against Detroit.
All the airline miles Rogers racked up, all the pitchers he had to prepare for, all the front-office executives he had to meet, a place in Michigan he had to give up – all leading up to a fateful reappearance in the ballpark he called home for the first seven years of his career.
“It’s been crazy to say the least,” said Rogers. “It’s good to get settled in here with Chicago and funny to have a full turnaround and play my first game with them in Detroit.”
Rogers’ first assignment with the White Sox was catching Anthony Kay, a veteran lefty who put up a 3.96 ERA over 116 innings entering Saturday’s game. His next assignment will be to find some production from the catching position, as White Sox catchers put up the second-lowest FanGraphs WAR of any MLB team from the position entering Saturday.
He has already made his mark against the White Sox during his journeyman tour, hitting the game-tying RBI on a sacrifice fly in the 12th inning of an Aug. 6 game while a member of the Red Sox, a game Boston ended up winning 12-11. Eight days later, he found himself on the team he helped beat.
“Baseball has a weird way of explaining itself sometimes,” Rogers said. “It’s a crazy full-circle moment to be here with them, if you’re just playing them with Boston and being here playing Detroit.”
Rogers was easily the most popular guy in either clubhouse on the morning of Saturday, Aug. 15, taking questions from both the Detroit and the Chicago media, with an even larger assembly of Tigers reporters catching up with the fan favorite. Rogers could expect to get love from the Comerica Park crowd, as Tigers fans have made him arguably the most-loved Detroit player of the last few seasons.
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said his players were also looking forward to see Rogers once again, even if it’ll be in the uniform of a division rival.
“Most of our guys are looking forward to seeing him … until he starts calling pitches against them, and then they’ll turn,” he said.
Brant Hurter struggles in rehab appearance
Tigers lefty reliever Brant Hurter struggled in a rehab appearance for Triple-A Toledo on Friday, allowing five runs on six hits over ⅔ of an inning, facing eight total batters. Hinch said that while Hurter struggled, he didn’t show any problems with a back injury that has kept him on the injured list since late May.
“Health-wise, he didn’t have any issues. Results-wise, he did,” he said. “He’s working through a few different things to get to better execution, but I think what he wants to take out of last night – and I haven’t talked to him – would just be the physical step forward.”
Hurter has pitched in four minor league games in August, with his latest outing his worst one by performance. The lefty last pitched for the Tigers in a 7-4 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on May 22 and has put up a 2.84 ERA in 25⅓ innings for the big-league club in 2026.
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You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Jake Rogers’ journey ends back in Detroit: ‘Crazy to say the least’
Reporting by Christian Romo, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Christian Romo, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
