LAKELAND, Fla. — In the fifth round of roster cuts, the Detroit Tigers optioned right-handed reliever Will Vest and catcher Donny Sands to Triple-A Toledo. Infielder Andy Ibañez was reassigned to minor-league camp.
The Tigers also informed catchers Andrew Knapp and Michael Papierski that they've been eliminated from contending for the Opening Day roster, meaning a three-catcher configuration won't happen.
"Once we make decisions, we really want to tell our players," Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. "It's really hard to be around these guys every day if you have information that you're keeping from them.