The Detroit Tigers have sent former top prospect Keston Hiura to minor-league camp. They made the announcement over social media.
The Tigers announced the following roster changes:
*Reassigned RHP Trey Wingenter, LHP Andrew Vasquez, C Anthony Bemboom, INF Keston Hiura, and OFs Bligh Madris and Ryan Vilade to minor league camp.
*The Tigers have 34 players still in Major League camp.
Hiura was expecting to make the roster as a reserve infielder, so this is a disheartening situation. It remains to be seen what happens next for him, whether he chooses to continue in the Tigers’ minor league system or whether he gets an opportunity elsewhere.
He batted.323 in Grapefruit League play this spring, with two home runs and nine RBI.
Hiura was released by the Brewers at the start of the offseason, which was a heartbreaking end to his time with the organisation. MLB.com listed him as the No. 20 overall prospect in baseball (2019).
He appeared in games for the Brewers from 2019 to 2022 before being dropped off the 40-man roster in 2023.
Unfortunately, he deteriorated almost every year of his major league career. He debuted in 2019, appearing in 84 games and hitting 19 home runs. During the COVID 2020 season, he hit 13 home runs in 59 games. Then, in 2021, his offence plummeted: he hit four home runs in 61 games and had a.168 batting average. In 2022, he played 80 games and hit 14 home runs, but his batting average was only.226.
The strikeout has always been a huge issue for Hiura. He led baseball.
The strikeout has always been a huge issue for Hiura. He topped baseball in strikeouts during the COVID season, striking out 85 times in just 60 games.
He had an extremely fruitful year in the minors last year, appearing in 88 minor league games. He batted.311 with 23 home runs and 79 RBIs. He still struck out 91 times in 88 games, but he had a.397 on-base percentage, so perhaps he has turned the corner for his next opportunity.
