It's understood that at 31, and soon to turn 32, the days Brad Eldred is considered a major league prospect have come and gone. He was signed strictly to help at Triple-A Toledo. The Tigers would have to add him to their 40-man roster to bring him the major leagues. If he got to the major leagues, it's highly unlikely he'd do much. He has hit only .204, with some power, but a loads of strikeouts, in three previous brief major league stints, the last in 2010. Listed at 6-foot-6 and 270 pounds, Eldred is the 4-A version of Adam Dunn.
But come on, what Eldred is doing at Toledo can't be ignored. Maybe, while he is hot, the Tigers can see if the magic does translate into helping them win at the major league level, at least in the short term.
Eldred is hitting .385 with 12 home runs, nine doubles and a triple in 78 at bats through the early portion of Toledo's game today. His OPS is over 1.400. It's not like the Tigers have exactly been raking lately as a whole, or have a clear-cut, every day DH. I don't know what the issues would be with the 40-man roster (somebody would have to be removed), but usually, it can manuevered. Why wouldn't it be worth a try?