DETROIT — Former Detroit Tigers farmhand José Azocar, who has logged brief major-league stints in each of the past four seasons, will get another opportunity in 2026.
Azocar recently agreed to a minor-league contract with the Atlanta Braves that includes an invitation to spring training.
Two other former Tigers outfielders have also changed organizations in recent weeks. Brewer Hicklen signed a minor-league deal with the Braves, while Dane Myers was traded from the Miami Marlins to the Cincinnati Reds last month.
Azocar, 29, originally signed with Detroit as a teenager out of Venezuela but never advanced beyond Double-A in the Tigers’ system. He later joined the Padres as a minor-league free agent ahead of the 2021 season and made San Diego’s Opening Day roster in 2022. Over the next three years, he moved frequently between Triple-A El Paso and the Padres, and in 2025 he appeared with both the New York Mets and the Braves.
Primarily valued for his speed and defensive ability, Azocar owns a .609 OPS (74 OPS+) across 418 career major-league plate appearances.
Hicklen, who will turn 30 next month, recorded his first MLB hit with the Tigers last May, nearly three years after his major-league debut. Prior to that, he made brief appearances with the Kansas City Royals in 2022 (0-for-4) and the Milwaukee Brewers in 2024 (0-for-5). Detroit acquired Hicklen from Milwaukee for cash considerations at the end of spring training, but he was later designated for assignment and traded to the Philadelphia Phillies last July. A native of Alabama, Hicklen was originally selected by the Royals in the seventh round of the 2017 draft out of UAB.
Myers, also 29, was drafted by the Tigers in the sixth round of the 2017 MLB Draft out of Rice University. He spent his first three professional seasons as a pitcher before transitioning to the outfield. Although he performed well offensively after the switch, his status as an older prospect left him overshadowed within Detroit’s system. The Marlins selected him in the minor-league phase of the Rule 5 Draft, and he eventually reached the majors in 2023.
Across three seasons with Miami, Myers has posted a .653 OPS (80 OPS+) with 10 home runs and 23 stolen bases in 511 plate appearances. A reliable outfield defender, he is expected to serve as a bench or platoon option with Cincinnati.
