The Detroit Tigers released struggling veteran catcher Eric Haase on Saturday. The move was made in order to make room for catcher Carson Kelly, who signed with the team on a deal until the end of the season with an option for 2024.
Haase had a rough time at the plate this year, hitting just .201 in 86 games. He also had four homers and 26 RBIs.
Haase made his MLB debut with the Cleveland Indians in 2018 and spent two seasons with the organization before signing with the Tigers in 2020. The 30-year-old player is a Detroit native, making the decision to release him particularly tough for the organization.
“He did a lot of things for us and organization,” said Tigers manager AJ Hinch. “I was close to Eric. I think he’s terrific. He helped. It wasn’t working out here as well as it had in previous years.”
At first glance, Kelly doesn’t represent a significant upgrade over Hasse. The 29-year-old had a .226 batting average to go with one home run and six RBIs in 33 games with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2023. He was released by Arizona earlier this month.
The Tigers will likely use Kelly to take some load off of Jake Rogers, who has been the team’s No.1 choice at the catcher position in recent weeks.
