Renato

Nunez

Núñez spent last seasons with the Nippon Ham Fighters of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, hitting 18 homers in 131 contests. The 28-year-old slugger got into 14 contests for the Tigers during the 2021 season, posting a lackluster .690 OPS in 55 plate appearances.

Núñez will head overseas after hitting just .189/.218/.472 with four home runs across 55 plate appearances with the Tigers last season. The 27-year-old slugger possesses plenty of over-the-fence pop, but contact issues and defensive struggles have limited his opportunities in recent years.

The personification of the all-or-nothing modern-era slugger, Núñez clobbered 21 homers in 386 plate appearances at the Triple-A level with the Tigers and Brewers, but struggled at the highest level, slashing .189/.218/.472 with four round-trippers across 55 plate appearances in 14 games with the Tigers this season. The 27-year-old slugger will likely be forced to settle for a minor-league deal with an invitation to spring training this offseason, unless he elects to take his prodigious over-the-fence pop overseas.

Núñez was released by the Tigers late last week and it didn’t take him long to latch on with a new team. The veteran slugger will be assigned to Triple-A and hope for a shot at some point in September.

It’s not clear whether this was the Tigers’ call or Nunez wasn’t going to accept another outright assignment. Either way, he’s now free to look for a gig elsewhere.

Núñez cleared waivers after being designated for assignment over the weekend. The 27-year-old has hit just .189/.218/.472 with four home runs across 55 plate appearances this season.

Núñez appeared in just 14 games for the Tigers, hitting .189/.218/.472 with four home runs across 55 plate appearances. He’s still only 27 years old, but there was seemingly zero interest on the free agent market last offseason. There’s a chance he elects to stick around in Detroit if he manages to pass through waivers unclaimed.

After crushing 20 homers in 74 games at Triple-A Toledo, Nunez is giving the impression that he doesn’t want to go back down. After launching a two-run shot off of Matt Harvey on Thursday night, Nunez tagged James Karinchak for a two-run blast in the ninth inning of this one. He’s now slashing .200/.243/.600 with four homers and seven RBI in nine games with the Tigers this season.

Cabrera belted his 499th career home run on Wednesday night against the Orioles, but Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said he wants to keep the veteran slugger out of the heat in Baltimore. Renato Nunez will play first base and Jonathan Schoop will DH on Thursday afternoon.

Nunez was designated for assignment by Detroit back in April, but he’ll get another look now after posting a promising .291/.383/.585 batting line with 20 home runs and 64 RBI in 74 games at the Triple-A level. The 27-year-old is a career .245/.310/.451 hitter in the majors.