Not long after the Tigers announced Brandon Inge would be designated for assignment, CEO/president/GM Dave Dombrowski stood in front of reporters trying to put a good spin on the move. Brandon, looking a bit choked up at times, put on a good face as he shielded his locker. Both men hinted at the same thing. Tigers fans have not seen the last of ol' Brandon Inge. He just wasn't batting, so he has to go to Toledo for awhile and work things out.
Obviously, before Inge can join the Mud Hens, he has to pass through waivers. But the odds of a team taking the remaining $8 million or so that Inge is owed seem quite low. So the safe assumption is that Inge will be a Mud Hen in a couple of days. The other safe assumption is that you haven't kicked around Brandon Charles Inge for the last time. He'll be back for more in September if not sooner. Sure, it would help if he produced somewhat in Toledo. But this is the Tigers we're taking about.
The clues?
Inge (via the Detroit News):
"I know I'll be back, I don't really care what they did. I know I need to fix myself. Sometimes it's a reality check, when you realize all the other stuff doesn't matter."
Dombrowski (from the same article):
"Anytime a guy's struggling up here, they start to put pressure on themselves. Hopefully he can recapture his swing and come back and help us."
So I won't be writing any career retrospective on Inge yet. Unless something strange happens, he'll remain in the organization and probably should be counted as the favorite to be the team's starting third baseman come next spring. Probably not news everyone wants to hear, but that's just the reality of the situation.