Holaday, Collins Among Those Cut By Tigers
By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak
CBS DETROIT - Twenty-nine players remain on the roster of the Detroit Tigers. The team made a number of cuts Monday, including backup catcher Bryan Holaday and outfielder Tyler Collins.
Detroit optioned the contracts of Holaday and Collins to Triple-A Toledo, and the team also sent catcher Manny Piña, infielders Jordan Lennerton, Jefry Marte and Aaron Westlake, and outfielders Xavier Avery and Jason Krizan to minor league camp.
Holaday spent last season in Detroit as the backup to Alex Avila and played in 62 games. He turned in a batting average of .231 over that span, but Tigers manager Brad Ausmus talked earlier in spring training about how much he values Holaday for both his play and his presence in the clubhouse.
Even with the 24-year-old James McCann, long ago dubbed the eventual replacement for Avila, making a strong case for the backup spot, it seemed like a possibility Holaday could stick around because Ausmus said the Tigers would take into consideration that whichever catcher stayed in Detroit as the backup would not get the development benefit of playing every day.
Collins, who played in 18 games for Detroit last season, appeared unlikely to make the team because the Tigers already have J.D. Martinez, Yoenis Cespedes, Rajai Davis and Anthony Gose in the outfield. In addition, Detroit is expected to keep two utility players in Andrew Romine and Hernan Perez.
