What happened to Carson Kelly? Former Diamondbacks catcher signed by the Tigers

The Detroit Tigers announced on Saturday that they had signed former Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Carson Kelly. Kelly was designated for assignment by the Diamondbacks last week and cleared waivers making him a free agent.

The Tigers also announced that they had designated Eric Haase for assignment to open up room for Kelly. Haase has struggled offensively this season, hitting .201 with just four home runs in 86 games of action.

Carson Kelly was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals as a third baseman in the 2012 MLB Draft. He forgone his college commitment to the University of Oregon and went straight to rookie ball.

In 2013, Kelly was approached by Gary LaRocque, the Cardinals' director of player development, to see if he would be interested in catching. He believed switching to catcher would help him become more valuable, and he made the switch that season.

Carson Kelly will look to turn the corner in Detroit

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Carson Kelly may be a slight upgrade from Eric Haase, who seemingly forgot how to hit. Haase was among the best hitters in the Detroit Tigers lineup over the last two seasons but struggled mightily this year. Kelly is hitting .226/.283/.298 through 32 games of action.

This season has been a wild one for Kelly. He did not make his 2023 season debut with the Arizona Diamondbacks until June 12. He was sidelined for the start of the season after fracturing his right forearm in Spring Training after getting drilled by a pitch.

Kelly was likely signed to serve as the backup for Jake Rogers for the remainder of the season. Rogers has been great behind the dish for Detroit this season, launching 15 home runs.

Seeing how much run Kelly gets with the Tigers will be interesting. His deal with Detroit contains a club option for the 2024 season.