Why Tigers’ Gleyber Torres Is Sitting on Venezuela’s WBC Bench

The World Baseball Classic is shaking up the Detroit Tigers’ spring plans. Players are juggling WBC commitments and trying to get ready for the regular season all at once.

This article dives into Gleyber Torres‘ limited role with Team Venezuela. It also looks at how the WBC is messing with the Tigers’ roster and camp strategy.

Torres in the WBC: Limited at-bats and a reshaped ramp-up

Gleyber Torres has mostly been stuck on the bench for Team Venezuela. He’s appeared in three games and only gotten nine plate appearances so far.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch says Torres is healthy. Still, the WBC schedule just doesn’t give him the usual ramp-up he’d have in Detroit.

Venezuela keeps starting Luis Arraez at second base. That’s left Torres with fewer chances and kept him from the heavier spring workload he’d get with the Tigers.

Torres is in Miami on an off-day, but WBC rules stop him from joining the Tigers for their spring game in Lakeland. Hinch mentioned that other Tigers are dealing with the same thing.

Enmanuel De Jesus is with Venezuela, Keider Montero is pitching for the Dominican team, and Jahmai Jones is with Korea. Kenley Jansen just got back from the Netherlands, and Will Vest is leaving to join Team USA.

Coaches Joey Cora and George Lombard haven’t been around camp for weeks because of their WBC duties. The Tigers had to reshuffle, so they sent three non-roster pitchers—Tyler Mattison, Cole Waites, and Bryan Sammons—to minor-league camp for workload and development reasons.

Coaches and roster juggling amid the Classic

Hinch likes what he’s seen from Mattison, calling his stuff intriguing and saying he might help the big club later. He also pointed out some upcoming pitching matchups worth watching: Tarik Skubal facing Max Scherzer and Framber Valdez starting in Tampa.

These games show the Tigers want to keep their pitching pipeline moving, even with the WBC pulling some players away.

What this means for the Tigers’ spring dynamics

With Torres and other regulars off with their national teams, Detroit is trying to balance player development with getting ready for the season. Practice time and in-game reps are tighter, so it could slow things down for some guys.

But the Tigers are using the remaining camp days to test their depth and give non-regulars a shot. For Torres, the WBC bench role is a different kind of prep than he’d get in Lakeland or Detroit. It might delay his full spring ramp-up, but maybe it keeps him fresh for the start of the season—hard to say for sure.

Impacts on depth, position-player competition, and the Tigers’ plans

• Depth on the diamond: With Arraez set at second, Torres waits for his shot. This really puts the team’s bench strength at second and in backup roles to the test.
• Roster churn: The Tigers recently sent three non-roster pitchers to minor-league camp. That move hints at a focus on managing workloads and letting younger arms keep developing.
• Upcoming spring tests: Skubal’s matchups against Scherzer and Valdez in Tampa are coming up. These games should show how the Tigers view their pitching depth against some of the best.

For Tigers fans, the WBC storylines add a whole extra layer to spring. Hinch says the main goal is still simple: get the pitchers stretched out and the position players ready for a tough regular season—even if the Classic messes with the usual ramp-up.

Torres’ situation kind of says it all. The club wants to improve in spring, keep guys healthy, and make sure everyone’s ready for a long, crowded American League schedule.

 
Here is the source article for this story: Why is Tigers’ Gleyber Torres riding Venezuela’s bench in WBC?