Detroit Tigers release INF Josh Harrison

The Josh Harrison era in Detroit has come to an end. On Friday, the Tigers announced that Harrison had be reinstated from the 60-day IL, and would be granted his unconditional release from the team.

Harrison was signed to the team in February, on a one-year $2MM deal, and seemed like an ideal fit at second base, where he would platoon with former Pittsburgh Pirates teammate Jordy Mercer. Instead, Harrison struggled with injuries, and underwent surgery to help with a persistent hamstring issue. He was moved to the 60-day IL in June, and had recently begun a rehab stint with the expectation of returning to the majors.

Harrison only played 36 games with the Tigers, and will end his tenure with the team having hit .176/.219/.265 over those games.

In addition to the release of Harrison, the Tigers also announced the unconditional release of pitcher Sandy Baez. Baez has been with the Tigers since 2011 and spent time at almost every minor league level. In 10 games played at the major league level between 2018 and 2019, he had a 5.28 ERA, 5.71 FIP, and 1.500 WHIP. He was in Erie at the time, but had been on the injured list.

Baez’s spot on the 40-man roster has been assigned to Edwin Jackson, who the Tigers called up to start Friday.