LAKELAND, FL – Maybe, it was the palm trees. Or the lake off in the distance. But a Jimmy Buffett song popped into my head:
“As the son of a son of a sailor/I went out on the sea for adventure.”
But this was just a little different. This was baseball’s version. Because Trei Cruz is the son of a son of an MLB player.
His father, José Cruz Jr., was a Gold Glove-winning outfielder who played for nine teams over 12 seasons. His grandfather José Cruz was a two-time All-Star outfielder who played for three teams over 19 seasons.
“People always ask me about pressure but, honestly, I don’t feel it,” Trei Cruz said. “I’m my own guy. I’ve got my own journey. But I want to be a third-generation baseball player. There’s only been five or six families that ever did it.”
He took a step closer to that goal when the Tigers added him to their 40-man roster on Nov. 18, 2025. Tigers assistant GM Ryan Garko called Cruz with the news.
“I had a lot of emotions,” Cruz said.
So, Cruz, 27, asked the big question. “How can I make the big-league roster?” Cruz said.
“He said, ‘Continue to do what you’re doing,’” Cruz said. “‘You had a great ‘25 season. There’s nothing to change. Continue to be versatile.’”
Versatility is the thing that is so fascinating about Cruz, who has turned into a switch-hitting Swiss Army knife. Since being selected as a shortstop in the third round of the 2020 MLB Draft, Cruz has played everywhere but first base and catcher in the Tigers system.
But nothing about the journey has been easy.
“What I’ve seen from Trei through the years has just been resilience,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “It hasn’t been an easy path for him. He was a third-rounder and comes from a major league family and has had to repeat levels, including Erie a lot. He hasn’t been discouraged. He’s continued to work on his game.”
Or as Cruz said: “It’s been a grind.”
Overcoming so many obstacles
In 2021, Cruz dislocated his right shoulder on his first professional hit
“Then proceeded to get COVID after that, then got mono after that,” he said. “So, my first year was rough.”
When he finally got healthy, he started climbing through the Tigers system.
Then, ugh, more trouble.
In 2024, he was having a good season – really making progress – and then everything changed in a blink. While making a throw from centerfield to home plate, he blew out his elbow.
“Tommy John,” he said. “It was heartbreaking at the time when I got it. I was in tears at the time when they told me, because I thought I was gonna have to miss the whole ‘25 season.”
But he didn’t. He worked his butt off and didn’t miss a game in 2025.
Cruz started out at Double-A Erie and crushed the ball, hitting .275 with 7 home runs, 54 walks and 66 strikeouts in 69 games.
So, he got moved up to Triple-A Toledo and raked again, hitting .284 with six home runs, 48 walks and 55 strikeouts in 58 games for the Mud Hens.
“Props to the organization for still believing in me, giving me a chance,” he said.
Learning to be versatile
Obviously, there are some advantages, coming from an MLB family.
And his father gave him some smart advice. “My dad had always told me to play infield for as long as I can,” Cruz said. “Because you can always go to the outfield.”
He was drafted as a shortstop. But a few years ago, someone from the Tigers organization said: Hey, have you thought about playing center field?
“I said, ‘Yeah, I mean, I come from an outfield family,’” Cruz said. “I’m the only infielder actually in my family, so I always keep up with it.”
So, he started playing outfield for the Tigers.
Which makes him incredibly valuable.
There just aren’t that many switch-hitting shortstops who can play center.
“The defensive versatility is so valuable,” Hinch said. “We’ve asked him to be ready for anything except for catcher and first base this spring. Being added to the 40-man is a big deal. He’s one step closer. He literally could be the answer for anything, if he’s the right guy, because of the fact he can fill in anywhere.”
Cruz was asked to play in the WBC for Team Canada – he was born in Toronto when his father was playing for the Blue Jays – but he declined.
“It was important to stay here,” he said. “I want to make the Opening Day roster, and I want to find a way to help the team win. I think by staying here that I am showing these guys that I can play different positions, and showing that I’m committed to the team and I’m willing to do whatever.”
He wants to be so versatile – so dang valuable that the Tigers are forced to take him to Detroit.
“I don’t want them to give them a reason” not to, he said. “I want to be a Swiss Army knife, be the guy that A.J. can put in any situation at any moment.”
He just wants to get to the big leagues.
Like his father, not to mention his father’s father.
Contact Jeff Seidel at jseidel@freepress.com or follow him @seideljeff.
Listen to our weekly Tigers show “Days of Roar” every Monday afternoon during the season and Tuesday afternoon during the offseason on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Trei Cruz strives for Detroit Tigers as switch-hitting Swiss Army knife
Reporting by Jeff Seidel, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
