With the de facto season-ending injuury to Placido Polanco, the Tigers will use Omar Infante and Ramon Santiago (sic) at secondbase.
And given this report in the Detroit Free Press, the Tigers aren't encouraged by the possibility of acquiring help via trade:
"Doesn't look like it," he said.
This leads me to suggest the Tigers will give a chance to the Toledo Mud Hen's secondbaseman, Ryan Raburn. With 19 HR, 13 SB and a .356 OBP, he certainly offers more "upside" than either Santiago or Infante.
As a 23-year-old, Raburn got a cup of coffee in 2004 following a successful rise from High A. He has seemingly been buried within the organization following that failed 29 AB/15 K stint.
He spent all of 2005 with the Mud Hens postng a disappointing, and decision-validating, .253 AVG. He did hit 19 HRs though.
Now the Tigers find themselves in a spot where Infante and Santiago will be full-time players during the stretch run.
Given the lack of upside for either, Raburn looks like a safe gamble. The kind of high risk/high reward situation the team should take.
If so, I expect the Tigs to make a move very soon in order to give Raburn "enough" time to allow a decision to be made by the August 31 play-off roster-setting deadline.
And if he is recalled, fantasy teams with the same risk profile should take a chance too.