Ryan Kreidler has seen his third season in the Detroit Tigers organization stop and start.
And stop and start again.
Kreidler, a Toledo Mud Hens infielder, sustained two injuries this season that kept him out of games for a total of nearly two months.
The Tigers’ No. 7 prospect landed on the seven-day injured list April 27 after suffering a fractured right hand, for which he underwent surgery and was sidelined until May 27. He suffered a second injury, a groin strain, in late June and was activated off the IL on July 29.
This is the first time Kreidler has experienced any significant injury in a season, he said.
The time on the IL taught Kreidler what he needs to do to stay prepared to play on an everyday basis.
“When you're hurt and when you're rehabbing, you can't always take what you need,” Kreidler said. “You have to be mindful of your health and mindful of, if I take 10 extra swings a day or 20 extra swings a day, how am I going to feel tomorrow? I feel like I'm at the point now where I can do what I want. I can take as many swings, take as many ground balls as I need to. That's my identity. I like to work, and I like to practice. Not being able to do that was tough.”
For the past two weeks, he’s started each game and is “starting to feel like myself,” Kreidler said.
In his first nine games off the IL, he hit to a .129 average. Since Aug. 17, Kreidler is hitting .270 (10-for-37) with four doubles, one home run, nine runs scored, and five stolen bases.
In 54 games for the Mud Hens, he’s hit .218 with a.361 on-base percentage and a .420 slugging percentage. Kreidler has a .781 on-base plus slugging percentage with eight home runs, 22 RBIs, and 15 stolen bases. His 17 total stolen bases – he had two on a rehab assignment – sets a career high.
“He's been battling. It seemed like every time he got hot, something happened,” Mud Hens manager Lloyd McClendon said. “... Quite frankly, we're a better team with him in the lineup. If he's hitting .200, we’re still a better team with him in the lineup, because he does so many things special.”
A fourth-round selection in the 2019 MLB draft, Kreidler illustrated his versatility this season.
He entered 2022 playing just seven games at third base in two minor league seasons. Primarily a shortstop, he’s roamed the infield for the Mud Hens this year, shifting around third, shortstop, and second base. As of Monday, he’s started 11 games each at third and second.
Kreidler has grown more comfortable at second throughout the season, he said.
“It's just a different look at the ball, different look at the other side of the mountain,” he said. “Understanding the footwork over there, and just trying to be a little bit more agile. It's a skill like anything else, so just getting repetitions there is huge. It's been fun for me.”
Because of injuries, Kreidler has fewer at-bats than a typical starter at this point in the season.
He has 206 at bats (193 with the Mud Hens). Some Mud Hen starters have already surpassed 300 at-bats.
“He's trying to catch up, but it’s going to take some time,” McClendon said. “This guy's a really, really good player, and we haven't seen what he's capable of doing because he's behind the eight-ball so to speak, but you see flashes here and there. We just got to keep him healthy the rest of the way and get him some at-bats.”
One area of concern for the Tigers is an increased strikeout rate.
Kreidler has struck out 33 times in 82 August at-bats (40 percent). He has struck out 30 percent of the time overall in Toledo this season (compared to 24 percent in Toledo last year).
“I hate to tell a guy not to strike out, because just touching it doesn’t necessarily get you to the big leagues, either, if you don’t do it with force,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch told reporters last week. “He’s just missed so much time. He just needs to play and play. Obviously, he’s somebody we look forward to getting to this level, at some point. But he’s missed so much time; it’s tricky when to make that call and bring him up.”
But Hinch said strikeouts would not solely prevent a September call-up.
“Whether to bring a guy up or not, it’s not an exact science,” Hinch said. “The numbers don’t tell you everything. But, they do tell you a few things on what he needs to do to be good when he gets here.”
Being away from game action caused Kreidler to lose his rhythm at the plate.
Although it won’t happen overnight, he’s starting to regain that comfort level in the batter’s box with each game.
“I've been just trying to get in that routine, just trying to be consistent,” Kreidler said. “Chasing results is not going to get me where I want to go. I think results come as a product of your process. I’m going to try to have a good process, show up every day with a good attitude, and have fun.”
First Published August 29, 2022, 5:13 p.m.
