Detroit – Justyn-Henry Malloy’s extended stay in baseball purgatory has ended.
Designated for assignment by the Tigers on Dec. 21, Malloy was sold to the Tampa Bay Rays Tuesday for cash. He had to spend an extra two weeks in limbo because of the holiday break.
Malloy, who turns 26 next month, was acquired from the Braves in 2022 for reliever Joe Jimenez. He dominated Triple-A pitching for four seasons (.902 OPS), but that performance never fully translated against big-league pitching in parts of two seasons with the Tigers.
Malloy hit .209 with nine home runs, with a 32.8% strikeout rate. He was mostly used as a weapon against left-handed pitching, against which he produced an .820 OPS, but with limited power (.423 slug).
The lack of power and his defensive shortcomings kept him from getting any sustained playing time with the Tigers. His role was essentially usurped last season by Jahmai Jones, who slugged .577 with a .970 OPS against lefties last season.
Malloy was DFA’d to make room on the 40-man roster for reliever Kyle Finnegan.
He joins a Tampa team that struggled against left-handed pitching last season, ranking 11th in the American League in average, slugging percentage and OPS against lefties.
@cmccosky