Shaking out the news and notes after a long week of sights and chatter from the Tigers farmlands:
Nearly three months into the 2026 season, John Peck is an early favorite as Tigers Minor League Player of the Year.
He was pushed this week to Triple-A Toledo and seems not to have noticed a difference in pitching.
He had a homer and a double Wednesday at Worcester in his second game for the Mud Hens and could be playing his way into the big-league picture as early as this season, given the Tigers’ needs at shortstop and Javy Baez’s ongoing ankle issues.
Strikeouts and walks remain for Peck a hill to climb: 25.1% whiffs vs. 5.3% walks.
Can he improve matters there?
It’s questionable. Players by the time they reach Triple-A generally have established their strikeout habits. But that’s also why Triple-A exists for guys with Peck’s talent. There’s room, especially for a man 23, to get better, even if turning around Ks-walks differentials this wide often can, at best, lead to marginal gains.
But knowing all of the above, the Tigers moved this week to get Peck, as well as outfielder Brett Callahan, onto Toledo’s roster as preparation for work in Detroit.
— It can’t be long before Low-A Lakeland switch-hitter Edian Espinal packs his Samsonite for a trip to West Michigan. Espinal hits and hits and then hits some more: 47 games, another double and single Wednesday. On the season: .335/.442/.497/.939, with four homers, five doubles, and four triples. He walks as much as he strikes out — a glowing 14.7% on each end.
