The first miss of GM Scott Harris' era in Detroit may be Nick Maton

The Detroit Tigers have optioned infielder Nick Maton to Triple-A Toledo.

Seemingly just minutes after he arguably blew a game and series against the Minnesota Twins on Sunday, new general manager Scott Harris sent the 26-year-old packing his bags and heading down south.

The Tigers, five and a half games back of the Twins in the abysmal American League Central, had an opportunity to make up more ground and take a series from the division winner. They had a 3-2 lead in the top of the 8th inning and the Twins hadn't scored a run since the third.

With two outs and runners on first and second, former Tiger Willi Castro hit a routine ground ball to Maton at third. Detroit was poised to get out of a jam and get one crucial step closer to a vital win, but Maton's throw to first was so far off the bag that first baseman Spencer Torkelson couldn't even get close to it. One run scored on that error to tie the game and eventually send it to extra innings.

In the 10th, another sloppy infield play from Maton allowed Carlos Correa to score from second and ultimately, the Tigers lost a winnable game, 6-3.

Almost immediately after the game, Tigers general manager A.J. Hinch relayed that Maton had been optioned.

“I just had an emotional meeting with him … but it was necessary,” Hinch said, per the Detroit Free Press.

There's still time for Maton to go down to Triple-A to get his head back on straight and come back to Detroit to be a productive player. He did show flashes of power with six home runs and by all accounts, he's a great clubhouse guy.

With that said, it's starting to seem like Maton is the first "miss" of the Harris era in Detroit. Harris traded closer Gregory Soto to the Philadelphia Phillies for Maton, outfielder Matt Vierling and catcher Donny Sands. Both Maton and Vierling were thought to be interesting utility pieces and in the case of Vierling, he has made a difference for Detroit with his athleticism, speed and a hint of power.

Maton's terrible day against the Twins was just a microcosm of his struggles this season, though. He goes down to AAA with a .163 average, a .289 OBP and an OPS of .576. He's been charged with three errors in Detroit's last 11 games and has just six hits in his last 42 at-bats—good for a .142 batting average.

Again, Maton could make it back to the big leagues and earn a starting role again in Detroit. He won't stop trying to make a comeback, though.

“Obviously, I've struggled a lot,” Maton said. "I'm not going to sulk around about it. I'm going to get to work and come back the player I can be.”