Jones was released by Kansas City on Tuesday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Jones joined the Royals on a minor-league deal in December but struggled to a .214/.270/.357 slash line in 38 games with Triple-A Omaha. The 30-year-old had a .460 OPS in 36 contests for the Tigers last year and doesn't appear close to a return to the majors.
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Royals' JaCoby Jones: Gets minor-league deal with Royals
Rotowire
Jones signed a minor-league contract with the Royals on Wednesday.
The 29-year-old outfielder hit .243/.316/.451 from 2019 through 2020 with the Tigers, but he hit just .170/.210/.250 in 36 games last season. It's possible Jones could join the big-league roster at some point this season if he performs well at Triple-A.
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Tigers' JaCoby Jones: Remains in organization
Rotowire
Jones cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Toledo on Thursday.
Jones began the year with a fairly regular role but was optioned to Toledo in late May after hitting .170/.210/.250 with a 40.0 percent strikeout rate through his first 105 plate appearances. He was designated for assignment Sunday, and it's no surprise to see him pass through waivers unclaimed, as a 29-year-old with a career 71 wRC+ at the highest level isn't particularly appealing.
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Tigers' JaCoby Jones: Designated for assignment
Rotowire
The Tigers designated Jones for assignment Sunday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Jones was previously sent to Triple-A Toledo on May 23, and now he'll be removed from the 40-man roster to make room for the newly recalled Jason Foley. Jones could be a candidate to be selected off waivers by a club in search of outfield depth.
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Tigers' JaCoby Jones: Optioned to Triple-A
Rotowire
Jones was optioned to Triple-A Toledo on Sunday.
Jones had started just two of the last five games, and he'll now be removed from the major-league roster after hitting .170 with two home runs and nine RBI to begin the season. Victor Reyes will be recalled from Triple-A Toledo in a corresponding move.
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Tigers' JaCoby Jones: Reaches base three times
Rotowire
Jones went 1-for-2 with two walks, an RBI and one run scored Thursday against the Royals.
Jones drew a start with southpaw Daniel Lynch on the mound, which shifted Nomar Mazara to the bench. Jones performed well but is still hitting just .173/.212/.272 for the season. More importantly, he'll be without consistent playing time as Detroit's standard starting outfield is Mazara, Robbie Grossman and Akil Baddoo.
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Tigers' JaCoby Jones: Sits in second straight
Rotowire
Jones is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Twins.
Jones looks like he could be the odd man out of the Detroit outfield in most games following Nomar Mazara's return from the 10-day injured list Saturday. He'll be on the bench for a second straight day while manager A.J. Hinch rolls out an outfield of Mazara, Robbie Grossman and Akil Baddoo. The righty-hitting Jones should at least play regularly against left-handed pitching while one of Mazara or Baddoo likely sits out on those occasions.
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Tigers' JaCoby Jones: Drives in two, steals base in win
Rotowire
Jones went 2-for-4 with a stolen base and two RBI in Wednesday's 6-5, extra-inning win over the Red Sox.
It's good to see a little life from Jones, as the center fielder came into the contest batting .148 for the season with 26 strikeouts in just 61 at-bats. It was also his first stolen base of the year, which makes sense considering he's struggled to consistently reach base. Jones did record double figures in home runs and steals back in 2018, so the power-speed potential is there, but he simply needs to make more regular contact if he wants to be a reliable fantasy contributor.
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Tigers' JaCoby Jones: Sitting second straight game
Rotowire
Jones is out of the lineup Friday against the Yankees, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.
The 28-year-old finds himself on the bench for the second consecutive game with righty Gerrit Cole taking the mound for New York. Jones started six of the previous seven contests and went 2-for-20 with 10 strikeouts during that stretch.
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Tigers' JaCoby Jones: Heads to bench
Rotowire
Jones is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Royals.
Jones had started each of the last four games in center field, but he benefited in some part from the Tigers facing off against two left-handed pitchers during that stretch. The Tigers are still seemingly viewing Jones as a short-side platoon player, with Robbie Grossman, Akil Baddoo and Victor Reyes representing the team's primary outfielders against right-handed pitchers until Nomar Mazara (abdomen) is ready to return from the injured list.
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Tigers' JaCoby Jones: Pops first homer
Rotowire
Jones went 2-for-4 with a solo home run Thursday against the Pirates.
Jones has struggled mightily to begin the season, as he entered Thursday's contest with only four hits in 31 plate appearances. However, he delivered his first multi-hit effort of the campaign, highlighted by a solo home run off Mitch Keller -- his first long ball of the season. Jones has been limited to a reserve role in the outfield due to the emergence of Akil Baddoo, and his playing time figures to dry up further once Nomar Mazara (abdomen) can return from the injured list.
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Tigers' JaCoby Jones: Returns to lineup Sunday
Rotowire
Jones is starting in center field and batting ninth in Sunday's game against Cleveland.
Jones was out of the lineup Saturday but will return Sunday, sending Victor Reyes to the bench. It looks like Jones and Reyes will keep sharing time in the outfield, and Robbie Grossman, Nomar Mazara and Akil Baddoo will also be in the mix for playing time going forward, giving the Tigers a bit of a logjam.
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Tigers' JaCoby Jones: Out of lineup Saturday
Rotowire
Jones is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against Cleveland.
Jones started Friday and went 0-for-3 with a strikeout, but the outfielder is now on the bench for the fourth time in eight games to begin the season, so he could be losing his grip on a regular role in a Detroit outfield that has gotten more crowded with the emergence of Akil Baddoo. Baddoo is in left for Saturday's contest with Victor Reyes in center and Nomar Mazara in right.
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Tigers' JaCoby Jones: Sits for third time in four games
Rotowire
Jones is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Twins, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
Jones finds himself on the bench for the third time in six games to begin the season, with all of his absences from the lineup coming against right-handed starting pitchers. Manager A.J. Hinch appears to have prioritized Victor Reyes and Akil Baddoo in the lineup over Jones, who may be the Tigers' fourth or fifth outfielder at this point.
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Tigers' JaCoby Jones: Sitting in second straight
Rotowire
Jones is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Twins.
He'll take a seat for the second straight day with manager A.J. Hinch handing Rule 5 pick Akil Baddoo another start in center field after the 22-year-old delivered a solo home run in his first MLB at-bat in Sunday's loss to Cleveland. Jones still looks to be the Tigers' preferred option in center, but he could end up sitting a few times per week if Baddoo continues to capitalize on his future opportunities.
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Tigers' JaCoby Jones: Heads to bench
Rotowire
Jones is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against Cleveland, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.
He'll give way to Victor Reyes, who picks up the start in center field in the series finale. Jones started in both of the Tigers' first two games of the season, going 2-for-7 with a double, an RBI and a run scored.
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Tigers' JaCoby Jones: Hits second spring home run
Rotowire
Jones went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays.
Jones has been struggling this spring, as he's still batting just .185 even after the two-hit performance, but it was good to see the outfielder hit his second Grapefruit League home run. Jones batted leadoff in this one, though it remains to be seen whether that sticks into the regular season. Robbie Grossman and Willi Castro have been mentioned as other candidates for the top spot in the order.
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Tigers' JaCoby Jones: Off to slow start
Rotowire
Jones, who went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays, is batting just .125 this spring with a .451 OPS.
Jones is off to a sluggish start through seven games, though he should have the center field job locked down due to his strong defense and the career-best .848 OPS he posted last season. The 28-year-old did miss the final month of the 2020 campaign after fracturing his left hand, so that could be partly responsible for his slow start this spring.
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Tigers' JaCoby Jones: Reaches agreement with Tigers
Rotowire
Jones and the Tigers avoided arbitration by reaching a one-year, $2.65 million deal Friday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.
Jones missed the final month of the 2020 season after fracturing his hand, but his production significantly increased when he was on the field. Over 30 games, Jones had a career-best .848 OPS with five home runs and 14 RBI. He should be fully healthy heading into spring training.
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Tigers' JaCoby Jones: Comes off IL
Rotowire
The Tigers reinstated Jones (hand) from the 45-day injured list Wednesday.
Before fracturing his left hand Sept. 1 and requiring season-ending surgery just over a week later, Jones had been a pleasant surprise for fantasy managers. While playing only 30 games, Jones hit .268 with five home runs, 19 runs, 14 RBI and a stolen base. The 28-year-old's poor plate discipline may relegate him to a spot near the bottom of the Detroit lineup in 2021, but his defense in center field should be good enough to lock him into an everyday role now that he's healthy again.
