SF Giants lose speedy outfielder on waivers to Detroit Tigers

The TJ Hopkins era is over in San Francisco. The Detroit Tigers claimed the SF Giants outfielder in a waiver claim according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.

SF Giants lose speedy outfielder on waivers to Detroit Tigers

Perhaps, the era ended before it ever began. The Giants acquired Hopkins from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for cash considerations in December. He did remain on the 40-man roster until he was designated for assignment last week after the Giants added Otto López in a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays.

López is a versatile infielder with good contact skills. The Giants are so thin on middle infield depth, there is a possibility that he makes the club out of spring training. In fact, Farhan Zaidi spoke highly of him recently.

The Giants had a glut of outfielders, so shedding some of that depth made sense. Though, they probably hoped that Hopkins would clear waivers and stick with the club as minor league depth. Interestingly, this is the second time that the Tigers have put a claim on a Giants player this winter. That may not seem notable, but Scott Harris, who previously was the Giants' general manager, does work as the Tigers president of baseball operations.

Hopkins was originally a ninth-round pick by the Reds in the 2019 draft out of the University of South Carolina. In four minor league seasons, he has registered a .275/.356/.463 line with a 10.3 percent walk rate, 25.2 percent strikeout rate, and a .188 ISO. The right-handed bat does flash some power as he has reached at least 15 home runs in each of the past two seasons in the minors.

The Reds did promote him to the active roster last year where he struggled to the tune of a .398 OPS in 44 sporadic plate appearances.

The Tigers are coming off of a 78-win season last year, so there is a good chance that Hopkins earns a longer look. For the time being, he will compete for a spot on the Opening Day roster in Tigers camp and could serve as a depth option for them in 2024.

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