LAS VEGAS — Detroit Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris is fond of working the waiver wire.
On Thursday, Harris went back to the well by claiming infielder Andy Ibáñez off waivers from the Texas Rangers, the team announced. Harris has made four waiver claims since taking over day-to-day operations of the Tigers in early October. Expect the Tigers’ roster to feature plenty of depth in the years to come.
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“We’ve made a few claims,” Harris said Tuesday at the general manager meetings. “We made a lot of claims in San Francisco. There’s talent on the waiver wire often, and we need to dig on every single player that is on waivers and see if they present an upgrade for us. If they do, we’re not going to be shy about claiming them.”
Ibáñez, 29, has played 116 MLB games over parts of two seasons, batting .258 with eight home runs, 24 walks and 56 strikeouts. In 2022, he hit .255 with six homers, 28 walks and 48 strikeouts in 73 games for Triple-A Round Rock.
At the big-league level, Ibáñez hit .277 over 76 games in 2021 and .219 over 40 games in 2022.
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In November 2014, Ibáñez defected from Cuba to pursue a professional career in the United States. He signed a minor-league contract with the Rangers in July 2015 and reached the majors in May 2021.
Ibáñez is comfortable at three infield positions, starting 17 games at first base, 29 games at second base and 32 games at third base in his MLB career. He also received one start in left field.
He has one minor-league option remaining.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers claim Andy Ibáñez off waivers from Texas Rangers