TJ Hopkins

Hopkins was removed from Detroit’s 40-man roster last February and never wound up making it back to the big leagues. The 28-year-old outfielder got into 25 games for the Reds as a rookie back in 2023.

The 27-year-old outfielder had been designated for assignment earlier in the week, but he passed through waivers unclaimed and will remain with the Tigers. He’ll also stay in big league camp as a non-roster invitee, though his chances of cracking the Opening Day roster look very slim.

Hopkins was just claimed off waivers from the Giants on Tuesday. With the Gio Urshela signing turning Matt Vierling into more of an outfielder again, there didn’t seem to be a path for Hopkins to make the Tigers as a platoon guy against lefties.

Hopkins, 27, made his major league debut for the Reds last season, going 7-for-41 with no extra-base hits. It’s possible he’d be of use as a part-timer against lefties, but that’s probably his ceiling. He’ll probably have to beat out Akil Baddoo for a roster spot in order to make the team.