Tigers rumors: Club not seeking outfielder despite Cameron Maybin injury

Detroit announced outfielder Cameron Maybin is expected to miss between four and six weeks due to a fracture in his left hand Thursday, but the organization is not considering external options to replace Maybin, according to Anthony Fenech of The Detroit Free Press.

Maybin was hit by a pitch Wednesday and did not expect the injury to be serious. However, the scan ultimately revealed the fracture.

When the Tigers acquired Maybin earlier in the off-season, the club expected him to be its starting center fielder. Maybin was plagued by injuries in both 2013 and 2014 but was able to remain healthy last season.

Over 141 games with the Braves, Maybin batted .267/.327/.370 to complement 10 home runs and 59 RBIs. He also stole 23 bases.

Anthony Gose appears to be the internal favorite to replace Maybin, and even when Maybin was healthy there was a chance Gose received a significant amount of the starting time.

Gose, still just 25, batted .254/.321/.367 in addition to five home runs and 26 RBIs over 140 games in 2015. He has not had much success against left-handed pitchers (.192 last season), though, and appeared to have some defensive issues.

The Tigers do not have a notable amount of depth at any position, but the Maybin injury exposes the organization's lack of outfield depth.

Tyler Collins has spent the last two seasons in Triple-A but has experience with the Tigers and could be the favorite to win a roster spot as a result. However, Collins is left-handed, and if the Tigers want to carry an additional outfielder it would almost certainly be a right-handed hitting one to complement Gose's left-handed bat.

Wynton Bernard has yet to make his major league debut, but he batted .301 last season in Double-A. John Mayberry Jr. might be the safe choice, since he is capable of playing all three outfield spots and has a notable amount of experience

The Tigers will likely be in a position to add another outfielder. But they are not looking outside of the organization.