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CLEVELAND – A.J. Hinch penciled Jahmai Jones into the designated hitter slot when he wrote the lineup for the Detroit Tigers game against the Cleveland Guardians on Saturday, June 13.
The Tigers manager might as well have penciled in himself.
Harsh? No doubt.
Yet this is where the fanbase is with Jones this season.
ON THE FARM: Justin Verlander's 2nd turn with Tigers can't come fast enough for him
They knew that when the right-handed hitter stepped to home plate in the first inning with runners at the corners and two outs, he’d be headed back to the dugout in short order. They were right; he grounded out to third in a four-pitch at-bat.
At least he hit the ball, which was more than he did in his second at-bat, when when he struck out on four pitches in the third inning.
Jones’ contact − or lack thereof − is something Hinch continues to keep an eye on, he said Sunday before the series finale was postponed.
“Yeah, it’s been a tough year for Jahmai,” Hinch said.
But?
“He continues to hit the ball pretty hard,” he said. “I know (Saturday) he didn’t, but overall if you look at what he’s done, he hits the ball hard. He’s still a real threat.”
At this point, the threat of a Jones hit is more theory than anything else, and the numbers are more revealing than the eye test.
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Jones is hitting .136 in 81 at-bats, after hitting .287 in 129 at-bats in 2025. His on-base percentage this season is .222, compared to .387 last year. And remember, that's in a role in which he mostly faces lefties; he's 11-for-67 (.164) against them, and 0-for-14 against righties.
Against pitchers of any kind, his OPS is a meager .457 this season. As you might imagine, he hasn’t had a hit in a while. His last came May 26 against the Los Angeles Angels. He singled in the fifth, driving in a run.
He is 0-for-17 since that single. And while he occasionally hits the ball hard − his average exit velocity is 91.3 mph, which would be around the 80th percentile if he had enough at-bats to qualify − he is struggling to make consistent contact.
Despite this, Hinch said, the Tigers remain committed to him and committed to helping him.
Here is his explanation and how Jones is part of a larger organizational strategy:
“We believe in him,” Hinch said. “He's doing a ton of work to try to figure out timing and his ability to get on the pitches that he needs to. Part of the strategy of having a weapon off the bench is, you know, to have a counter move to anything that they do.”
“We did it [Saturday] with Colt Keith. He came off, hit the ball over 100 mph. It just happened to go to the centerfielder. Carp [Kerry Carpenter] came in and had a couple good at-bats, one against a righty, one against a lefty.”
How long the Tigers keep penciling Jones in the lineup is something they can’t answer just yet.
“I don’t know how long that lasts,” Hinch said.
He acknowledged production matters.
“We need Jahmai to do his part to have it truly function the way that the strategy is designed and how the roster is built,” said Hinch. “[We will] continue to give him opportunity because we believe in him. But clearly, we need production in order to continue that.”
Hinch remains hopeful:
“We've seen him deliver before on the highest stage and the biggest stage that we’ve played.”
Contact Shawn Windsor: [email protected]. Follow him @shawnwindsor.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Why Detroit Tigers are sticking with struggling Jahmai Jones for now
Continue reading...
The Tigers manager might as well have penciled in himself.
Harsh? No doubt.
Yet this is where the fanbase is with Jones this season.
You must be registered for see images attach
ON THE FARM: Justin Verlander's 2nd turn with Tigers can't come fast enough for him
They knew that when the right-handed hitter stepped to home plate in the first inning with runners at the corners and two outs, he’d be headed back to the dugout in short order. They were right; he grounded out to third in a four-pitch at-bat.
At least he hit the ball, which was more than he did in his second at-bat, when when he struck out on four pitches in the third inning.
Jones’ contact − or lack thereof − is something Hinch continues to keep an eye on, he said Sunday before the series finale was postponed.
“Yeah, it’s been a tough year for Jahmai,” Hinch said.
But?
“He continues to hit the ball pretty hard,” he said. “I know (Saturday) he didn’t, but overall if you look at what he’s done, he hits the ball hard. He’s still a real threat.”
At this point, the threat of a Jones hit is more theory than anything else, and the numbers are more revealing than the eye test.
You must be registered for see images attach
THE KID: Kevin McGonigle doing 'epic' things, but Tigers can't rise to his level
Jones is hitting .136 in 81 at-bats, after hitting .287 in 129 at-bats in 2025. His on-base percentage this season is .222, compared to .387 last year. And remember, that's in a role in which he mostly faces lefties; he's 11-for-67 (.164) against them, and 0-for-14 against righties.
Against pitchers of any kind, his OPS is a meager .457 this season. As you might imagine, he hasn’t had a hit in a while. His last came May 26 against the Los Angeles Angels. He singled in the fifth, driving in a run.
He is 0-for-17 since that single. And while he occasionally hits the ball hard − his average exit velocity is 91.3 mph, which would be around the 80th percentile if he had enough at-bats to qualify − he is struggling to make consistent contact.
Despite this, Hinch said, the Tigers remain committed to him and committed to helping him.
Here is his explanation and how Jones is part of a larger organizational strategy:
“We believe in him,” Hinch said. “He's doing a ton of work to try to figure out timing and his ability to get on the pitches that he needs to. Part of the strategy of having a weapon off the bench is, you know, to have a counter move to anything that they do.”
“We did it [Saturday] with Colt Keith. He came off, hit the ball over 100 mph. It just happened to go to the centerfielder. Carp [Kerry Carpenter] came in and had a couple good at-bats, one against a righty, one against a lefty.”
You must be registered for see images attach
How long the Tigers keep penciling Jones in the lineup is something they can’t answer just yet.
“I don’t know how long that lasts,” Hinch said.
He acknowledged production matters.
“We need Jahmai to do his part to have it truly function the way that the strategy is designed and how the roster is built,” said Hinch. “[We will] continue to give him opportunity because we believe in him. But clearly, we need production in order to continue that.”
Hinch remains hopeful:
“We've seen him deliver before on the highest stage and the biggest stage that we’ve played.”
Contact Shawn Windsor: [email protected]. Follow him @shawnwindsor.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Why Detroit Tigers are sticking with struggling Jahmai Jones for now
Continue reading...
