Breaking: Tigers sign former Reds star outfielder off waivers from San Francisco Giants… but…

The Detroit Tigers claimed former Cincinnati Reds outfielder TJ Hopkins off waivers from the SF Giants on Tuesday. The Giants had acquired Hopkins in a trade with the Reds earlier this offseason, but designated him for assignment after acquiring versatile Otto Lopez in a trade with the Blue Jays last week.

Hopkins, who turned 27 last month, is coming off the most productive minor-league season of his career. In 94 games with the Reds Triple-A affiliate, he hit .308/.411/.514 with 18 doubles, 16 home runs, 55 walks, and 94 strikeouts in 393 plate appearances. That impressive overall performance helped him receive his first-career big-league call up.

However, Hopkins was unable to continue producing at a high level against major league pitching. Hopkins only received 44 plate appearances across 25 games with the Reds, managing just seven hits (all singles) with 17 strikeouts and only two walks.

Hopkins was drafted by the Reds in the ninth round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of South Carolina. A four-year starter in the SEC, Hopkins has moved relatively quickly through the minor leagues. Despite losing the 2020 minor-league season, which was cancelled in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Hopkins started his first full professional season at Double-A in 2021. He held his own, posting a .777 OPS.

With a bevy of other higher-ceiling outfield prospects in the organization, the Reds skipped over Hopkins for a promotion for some time. He returned to Double-A in 2022, hitting .260/.337/.464 with 17 home runs in 101 games before he was finally promoted to the highest level of the minors. In his first taste of Triple-A, he posted a .255/.320/.436 line in 103 plate appearances.

Hopkins is a good athlete with plus speed, although he has never been able to turn those wheels into the impact tool one might hope defensively or on the basepaths. Hopkins has never been a threat to steal bases and has primarily been a corner outfielder throughout his career. Still, he held his own in both left and right field during his big-league stint.

TJ Hopkins has a more immediate path to playing time with the Detroit Tigers than he did in the Bay Area with the SF Giants. Mark Canha and Matt Vierling are the lone right-handed hitting outfielders currently slated to make the Tigers Opening Day roster, leaving a clear avenue for Hopkins to potentially play his way into a larger role with a strong spring.