Prior to their Spring Training matchup on Tuesday, the Detroit Tigers trimmed their roster down to 49 with the optioning of some players down to Triple-A and assigning a couple of other players directly to Minor League Camp. Among those optioned were third baseman Andre Lipcius, outfielder Parker Meadows, and pitchers Rony Garcia and Brendan White. They also assigned Zach Logue to their Minor League Camp.

Why it matters:

The roster choices are becoming a bit more clear for the Detroit Tigers and what these particular moves mean for the start of the 2023 season:

• Nick Maton is most likely going to be the starting third baseman for the Tigers on Opening Day
• Jonathan Schoop also will most likely stay with the team, even amid a bad start to his spring
• Kerry Carpenter and Akil Baddoo will be fighting for that fourth outfield spot, with both contributing until Matt Vierling is back from injury.

The big picture for the Detroit Tigers:

Lipcius was pegged as someone we thought might break camp with the team. That's obviously not going to happen barring an injury. Meadows, in his own right, was having a great spring as well. However, this is a clear sign that the Tigers are interested in their development, instead of trying to rush them to the Majors. Do they need them right now? No, they don't. Will they be up this season? 100% yes, especially if they keep raking.

What they're saying: