J.D. Martinez dropped to sixth in Tigers’ batting order

By Drew SilvaMay 6, 2015, 7:04 PM EDT
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Tigers right fielder J.D. Martinez had batted either fourth or fifth in his first 26 starts this season, but he is 2-for-25 with 16 strikeouts in his last six games and so the 27-year-old is getting a demotion of sorts for Wednesday night’s game against the White Sox.

Here is the Detroit starting lineup for Wednesday, with Martinez hitting sixth and left fielder Yoenis Cespedes getting the bump up to the fifth spot …

Martinez was a breakout star in 2014 at age 26, batting .315/.358/.553 with 23 home runs and 76 RBI in 123 games for Detroit. But he also showed flashes of promise during his time with the Astros before eventually falling back to earth. The former 20th-round pick is a .269/.315/.443 career hitter in the major leagues.

Reds are the frontrunner for Nicholas Castellanos

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By Craig CalcaterraJan 27, 2020, 6:54 AM EST
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Jon Morosi of MLB.com reports that the Reds “have emerged as the frontrunner” to sign free agent outfielder Nicholas Castellanos. Morosi says the Reds and Castellanos “have made progress over the past several days.”

The Reds were going to have a lot of outfielders already when they hit Goodyear, Arizona in a couple of weeks, with newcomer Shogo Akiyama, Jesse Winkler, Nick Senzel, Aristides Aquino, Travis Jankowski, Scott Schebler, and Rule 5 draftee Mark Payton. Senzel was an infielder before last year, of course, so he could move back to the dirt, perhaps. And, of course, the Reds could trade from their outfield surplus if, indeed, they end up with an outfield surplus.

Without question, however, Castellanos would be the big dog, at least offensively, in that setup. He had a breakout year at the plate in 2019, hitting .289/.337/.525 overall (OPS+ 121), but slugging at a blistering .321/.356/.646 pace (OPS+ 151) after being traded from the Tigers to the Cubs. In Chicago — rescued from cavernous Comerica Park — his big doubles power turned into big homer power. If he were to sign to play half his season in hitter-friendly Great American Ballpark one can only imagine the damage he’d do.