Akil Baddoo Stays with Tigers After Clearing Waivers
By Darragh McDonald | June 10, 2025
The Detroit Tigers confirmed Tuesday that outfielder Akil Baddoo will remain within the organization. After being designated for assignment last week, Baddoo went unclaimed on waivers and has accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Toledo, according to Chris McCosky of the Detroit News.
This marks the second time Baddoo has been removed from Detroit’s 40-man roster. He was first outrighted back in December, but because he hadn’t yet accrued three years of MLB service time, he wasn’t eligible to decline the assignment. Re-added to the roster about a month ago, Baddoo was again outrighted, and this time he had the option to elect free agency — but chose to stay with the Tigers as organizational depth.
Baddoo made a splash in 2021 after Detroit acquired him from the Twins via the Rule 5 Draft. In his debut season, he impressed with 13 home runs, 18 stolen bases, and a .259/.330/.436 slash line — good for a 108 wRC+. At the time, he looked like a potential everyday fixture in the outfield.
However, his offensive numbers have dropped sharply since then. Since 2022, Baddoo has posted a .201/.288/.323 line in the majors with a 74 wRC+ across 682 plate appearances.
Despite his struggles at the big-league level, Baddoo continues to produce respectably in the minors. Over the past few seasons, he’s hit .250/.351/.433 with a 111 wRC+ in Triple-A — making him a valuable option for depth, especially as the Tigers deal with outfield injuries, including Matt Vierling’s extended time on the IL.
While he’s no longer guaranteed a spot in Detroit’s future plans, Baddoo’s decision to stick around gives the Tigers a capable and experienced fallback should the need arise.
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