Ibanez agreed to a one-year, $1.4 million contract with the Tigers on Friday to avoid arbitration, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports.
Ibanez took a step back during his second year with the Tigers, slashing .241/.295/.357 over 244 plate appearances during the regular season. However, the Tigers have deemed his performance worthy of a $633,900 raise from his previous salary. He's expected to remain in a utility role next year.
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Tigers' Andy Ibanez: Hits key home run off bench
Rotowire
Ibanez went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and three total RBI in Sunday's 9-4 win over the White Sox.
Ibanez appeared as a pinch hitter in the fifth inning, then went deep in the seventh, giving him five home runs this season. The 31-year-old utility player has a respectable .261 average and .708 OPS, but with youngsters Spencer Torkelson, Colt Keith and Jace Jung now seeing regular playing time in Detroit's infield, Ibanez may see his role shrink in coming weeks. At the very least, Ibanez is an interesting bargain option in daily leagues whenever he's in the lineup.
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Tigers' Andy Ibanez: Hitting second against lefty
Rotowire
Ibanez will start in left field and bat second in Thursday's game against the Cubs.
With a southpaw (Justin Steele) on the hill for the Cubs, the Tigers are giving three of their lefty-hitting regulars (Riley Greene, Parker Meadows and Trey Sweeney) the afternoon off while opening up a prominent spot in the lineup for Ibanez. The 31-year-old utility man should remain a fixture in the lineup versus lefties for the rest of the season, as he's produced a. 958 OPS in those matchups so far in 2024.
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Tigers' Andy Ibanez: Two hits, two RBI in win
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Ibanez went 2-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored in Saturday's 7-3 win over the Blue Jays.
Ibanez got the Tigers on the board with an RBI double in the fifth inning and then added an RBI single and scored on a wild pitch in the seventh. While he isn't playing every day, the 31-year-old is hitting a ridiculous .388 with all four of his home runs and 20 of his 23 RBI against left-handed pitching this season.
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Tigers' Andy Ibanez: Leads offense in win
Rotowire
Ibanez went 2-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Phillies.
Ibanez continued a strong June, as he's now batting .314 this month with six RBI and six runs scored across 15 games. The utility player is batting a solid .284 overall, and while he's not providing a ton of power, he has been a solid bat for the Tigers. Ibanez's biggest question moving forward is playing time, though Detroit figures to find creative ways to get him into the lineup even if he's not locked into a regular starting role.
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Tigers' Andy Ibanez: Late addition to Friday's lineup
Rotowire
Ibanez will start at second base and bat seventh against the Red Sox on Friday.
Ibanez was initially slated to sit Friday, but he was inserted into the lineup after Mark Canha was scratched due to left hip soreness. Ibanez will go up against Boston right-hander Tanner Houck.
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Tigers' Andy Ibanez: Activated from injured list
Rotowire
The Tigers activated Ibanez (hamstring) from the 10-day injured list Tuesday.
Ibanez wound up missing a little more than three weeks of action with a strained left hamstring. The utility player should see some starts for the Tigers against left-handed pitching.
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Tigers' Andy Ibanez: Continuing rehab assignment
Rotowire
Ibanez (hamstring) will start at second base for Triple-A Toledo on Sunday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
Ibanez has played two games in Triple-A as part of his rehab assignment, going 3-for-6 with two doubles and one RBI over that span. If all goes well in Sunday's stint, Ibanez could be available for the Tigers' next series against the Cardinals starting Monday.
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Tigers' Andy Ibanez: Goes through full workout
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Ibanez (hamstring) went through a full workout at second base Tuesday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
McCosky added that Ibanez didn't appear to be favoring his left hamstring at all. The veteran utility player would appear to be close to beginning a rehab assignment, with a return before the end of the month possible. Once he rejoins the Tigers, most of Ibanez's playing time figures to come against lefties.
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Tigers' Andy Ibanez: Taking batting practice
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Ibanez (hamstring) took batting practice at Comerica Park on Monday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
It's the first time he's taken batting practice on the field since he suffered a left hamstring strain a little over a week ago. Ibanez will head to extended spring training this weekend to continue his rehab before rejoining the Tigers early next week. It's possible he could be activated at that time, although the team has not yet made that determination.
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Tigers' Andy Ibanez: Hitting, doing agility drills
Rotowire
Ibanez (hamstring) has begun hitting and going through light agility drills, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.
Ibanez is on the injured list with a left hamstring strain which he suffered last weekend, but he's feeling well enough to start incorporating some baseball activities. There's no timeline for his return yet, but he would seem to have a good shot to be back before the end of April.
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Tigers' Andy Ibanez: Lands on IL with strained hamstring
Rotowire
Ibanez was placed on the 10-day injured list by the Tigers on Monday with a left hamstring strain, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
Ibanez evidently suffered the injury during Sunday's game against the Athletics and will now be sidelined for at least the next week and a half. Wenceel Perez is absorbing his roster spot.
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Tigers' Andy Ibanez: Hitting leadoff in opener
Rotowire
Ibanez will start at third base and bat leadoff in Thursday's season opener versus the White Sox.
Ibanez not only gets the nod over Gio Urshela at third base but also finds himself at the top of the batting order against left-hander Garrett Crochet. Parker Meadows -- who could be the favorite to bat leadoff versus righties -- is hitting ninth Thursday.
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Tigers' Andy Ibanez: Impressing in camp
Rotowire
Ibanez has played well this spring and likely has locked up an Opening Day roster spot, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.
Ibanez was a pleasant surprise for the Tigers last season and he's carried that over into camp, as he's now popped four home runs in 15 Grapefruit League contests to go along with a .963 OPS. The utility player doesn't have a regular home on the diamond, but if he keeps swinging a hot bat, he may force his way into the lineup more often.
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Tigers' Andy Ibanez: Hits second spring home run
Rotowire
Ibanez went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates.
Ibanez now has two home runs and an even 1.000 OPS across six games this spring. The 30-year-old is competing for a bench spot in camp, and his strong performance so far should help his cause. Ibanez posted a .264/.312/.433 line in 114 games for the Tigers last year and gave the team plenty of defensive versatility as well. A similar role could be in store for him this season.
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Tigers' Andy Ibanez: Tallies three hits Saturday
Rotowire
Ibanez went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI in Saturday's 8-0 win over the Guardians.
Ibanez continued his good recent stretch, as he's batting .371 over his last 10 games with eight RBI. It's been a solid season overall for the utility player, who's batting .264 with a .747 OPS. Ibanez has also recorded a career-high 11 home runs and 40 RBI. The 30-year-old should have a similar role in 2024, which could make him an occasional fantasy contributor in deeper leagues, though he's far from an elite option.
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Tigers' Andy Ibanez: Taking seat Friday
Rotowire
Ibanez is absent from the lineup for Friday's game against the Guardians.
Ibanez had started nine straight games prior to Friday, making seven starts at second base and another two in left field. He'll begin this one on the bench, though, as Zach McKinstry covers second base and Akil Baddoo patrols left field.
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Tigers' Andy Ibanez: Goes deep Tuesday
Rotowire
Ibanez went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double, a solo home run, two runs scored and two total RBI in Tuesday's extra-inning loss to the Reds.
Ibanez was bumped up to the No. 2 spot in the order and responded with a good game, which included his 11th home run of the season. The utility player has now batted second on 10 occasions this year, though he's primarily been lower in the order, most frequently appearing in the No. 8 spot. Ibanez may stay put for the time being after the strong effort, however.
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Tigers' Andy Ibanez: Homers, drives in three Thursday
Rotowire
Ibanez went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in Thursday's 10-3 win over the Yankees.
Ibanez drove in a run on a sacrifice fly in the third inning, then plated two more with a home run in the eighth, his 10th long ball of the season. The utility player came into 2023 with just eight total home runs at the MLB level across two seasons, so the double-digit output has been a bit of a surprise.
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Tigers' Andy Ibanez: Goes deep twice Tuesday
Rotowire
Ibanez went 2-for-3 with a walk, two home runs and four RBI in Monday's 8-6 win over the Cubs.
Ibanez had gone deep just once since the beginning of July, so the two-homer game came out of nowhere. The utility player now has nine home runs on the season, surpassing the seven he hit back in 2021. Ibanez also set a new career high by reaching 26 RBI on Monday, as he had 25 during that 2021 campaign.
