Donny

Sands

Sands will be looking for his third organization of 2024, as the Tigers released him near the end of spring training. The 28-year-old hit just .176 in his time with Triple-A Sacramento.

Leonard was reportedly in the running for a bench spot with Detroit, but the club ultimately will send him down to Triple-A to start the season. The 23-year-old posted a .904 OPS in 40 games with Triple-A Toledo in 2023, so there’s likely a chance he gets an opportunity down the road barring an injury.

Sands went unclaimed on waivers after being designated for assignment back in late December and will remain with Detroit as extra organizational catching depth. The 27-year-old backstop got into three games for the Phillies back in 2022 and hasn’t appeared in the majors since.

This was a corresponding move to free up a spot on Detroit’s 40-man roster for Shelby Miller to finalize a one-year, $3 million contract. Sands started hot in 2023 in Double-A Erie but slowed his pace after bumping up to Triple-A Toledo, slashing just .225/.318/.353 on the doorstep of the majors. He’ll likely pass through waivers unclaimed.

The Tigers now have 38 players remaining in camp. Sands was acquired from the Phillies in the Gregory Soto deal this winter and will wait for a chance in Triple-A. Ibanez was in the mix for a bench spot, so this could be a sign that Ryan Kreidler has a leg up to make the Opening Day roster.

Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia was the first to report that the two sides were working on a potential deal and it sounds like the Tigers will wind up with multiple young position players in exchange for their primary closer. The deal has not been finalized yet, but Morosi adds that the deal has been agreed upon, pending medical reviews. Soto is expected to slide into a setup role for the Phillies this season behind Craig Kimbrel, Seranthony Dominguez and Jose Alvarado. It’ll likely be Alex Lange taking over as Detroit’s primary stopper this season.

Sands projects as a backup catcher at the big league level. He got into three contests last season for the Phillies and batted .308/.411/.441 with six homers and one steal in 253 plate appearances at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The 26-year-old backstop gives the Tigers some extra organizational catching depth behind starters Eric Haase, Jake Rogers and Andrew Knapp.

Sands has been shipped back to the minors with veteran slugger Nick Castellanos returning from the injured list for Tuesday’s series opener against the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Sands, 26, will be one of the two September call-ups for the Phillies after posting an .852 OPS in 60 MiLB games. He’ll be the third catcher while with the club.

Sands currently sits either third or fourth on the Phillies’ organizational depth chart at catcher, well behind locked-in starter J.T. Realmuto and projected backup Garrett Stubbs. Rafael Marchan could be just ahead of him too, though the 25-year-old Sands at least offers some amount of long-term offensive upside. He was acquired from the Yankees this past November as part of a four-player swap.