The Detroit Tigers held high hopes for Rule-5 pick Jeff Kobernus, a natural second baseman with great speed, who was transformed into a left fielder this spring in hopes of becoming the right-handed bat in a platoon role with Andy Dirks.
But with his recent struggles which has brought his Spring Training batting average down to .220, the Tigers brass decided it just wasn’t his time to make their big league roster. But that doesn’t mean they didn’t want to keep him.
According to reports, general manager Dave Dombrowski spent a few days trying to work out a deal with the Washington Nationals to no avail. Commenting that the price was steeper than the Tigers were willing to pay, they announced the decision to return Kobernus, which in return they get to recoup $25,000 or exactly half of the $50,000 cost that major league clubs have to endure when acquiring Rule-5 draft picks.
With Matt Tuiasosopo‘s outstanding 13-game stretch in which he has nailed four home runs while hitting at a .464 clip, the decision was made easier. Expect Tuiasosopo and Avisail Garcia (currently out with a bruised heel) to fight for the gig with Tuiasosop the likely choice because of readiness due to injury for Opening Day.
