Tigers designate outfielder Derek Hill for assignment

The Detroit Tigers have designated outfielder Derek Hill for assignment, per a club announcement. His spot on the 40-man roster will go to lefty Andrew Chafin, who has been reinstated from the restricted list. Detroit also optioned righty Angel De Jesus to Triple-A Toledo to open an active roster spot for Chafin.

There’ll be more moves for the Tigers before too long — and not only because of tomorrow’s trade deadline. Chris McCosky of the Detroit News tweets that the Tigers will also need to make a pair of moves tomorrow, when righties Matt Manning and Wily Peralta are reinstated from the injured list.

Hill was the organization’s first-round pick back in 2014. The speedy outfielder was one of the more interesting prospects in the system for an extended stretch based on his baserunning and defense, but his bat hasn’t caught up to his glove. He’s appeared in the big leagues in each of the past three seasons, but he owns a .240/.291/.339 line with four home runs and a strikeout rate just below 30 percent through 254 plate appearances.

The 26-year-old Hill has also struggled mightily with Toledo this season. He’s hitting .217/.269/.325 in 30 Triple-A games, leading to his removal from the roster. He’ll presumably be placed on waivers over the next few days.