Detroit — Well, that didn’t take long.
Outfielder Brewer Hicklen, who was designated for assignment by the Milwaukee Brewers before the start of the season, hadn’t been in Detroit more than a few hours before he changed his Instagram bio to Brewer “Tiger” Hicklen.
“I’m here for it,” he said, chuckling. “I just want to fit in and make an impact while I’m here.”
The Tigers acquired the 29-year-old Hicklen from the Brewers for cash on March 28, and he’s played in five games at Triple-A Toledo. He was summoned Tuesday to replace outfielder Manny Margot.
Margot injured his left knee chasing down a ball in the right-center gap Monday and was placed on the 10-day injured list with knee inflammation.
“He jumped and landed awkwardly and from that point forward wasn’t moving around great,” manager AJ Hinch said. “We kept asking him, and he said he was fine. But in his last at-bat he hobbled down to first and it was obvious we had to do two things.
“We had to get our defense right and make sure we had guys out there who weren’t dealing with anything and we had to get Manny checked out.”
In Hicklen, the Tigers are essentially getting a player who’s profile is very similar to Margot — a right-handed hitter who can play all three outfield spots.
“The last 10 days have been quite the rollercoaster,” the personable Hicklen said. “Getting DFA’d right before opening day and then getting picked up by the Tigers, who were looking for some outfield depth, it’s an amazing opportunity for me and I am super grateful to be in a Tigers uniform.
“The Motor City, an incredible city, blue collar — it kind of fits my mentality of the way I approach the game.”
His last two weeks would test the patience of any human. He went from being in camp with the Brewers to his home in Huntsville, Alabama. He was there for two days, put his house on the market and then drove to Nashville for the start of the Triple-A season.
No sooner did he get moved into his apartment there, he was informed that he’d been DFA’d. He re-packed and drove back home, and the Tigers called 18 hours later and he was on the move to Toledo. Just in time to hop a flight to Round Rock, Texas.
“But there is so much beauty in the process of getting to where we are in our career,” Hicklen said. “I can think back on so many times in my career when I never knew if I’d ever be back in this moment and that’s just me being real.
“When you’re struggling and you’re in slumps, you just feel like there isn’t going to be another opportunity. But God opens new doors. And what turned out to be me sitting in my car with my kid crying because I got DFA’d became an amazing opportunity to be here.”
Hicklen got into six games with the Royals in 2022 and three games last year with the Brewers. He was 5 for 21 with two stolen bases and four runs scored in five games with the Mud Hens.
He is still searching for his first big-league hit.
“What better place for him to get it than in a Tigers uniform,” Hinch said.
@cmccosky
