DETROIT -- The last time Jahmai Jones was in Detroit, he was a fan across the street from Comerica Park at Ford Field watching his older brother T.J. play wide receiver for the Lions.
T.J. Jones caught four touchdowns over as many seasons in Detroit. His first was his longest, a 29-yard pass from Matthew Stafford for his only reception in a win over the 49ers on Dec. 27, 2015. A decade later, his younger brother Jahmai went deep on his first pitch as a Tiger.
The pinch-hit home run provided the Tigers with a critical insurance run in their 3-1 win over the Cubs. It also provided the Jones family with an incredible moment, a third member representing Detroit sports.
“I’ve been talking with my family, and they’re all fired up,” Jahmai Jones said. “It’s just kind of a full-circle moment, but again, enjoying every moment.”
It was the exact kind of moment the Tigers brought up Jones to provide. While Andy Ibáñez struggled to hit left-handed pitching this season before being optioned to Triple-A Toledo on Friday, Jones has filled a similar role at other stops, including last season with the Yankees. He hit .238 (10-for-42) in 33 games with New York in 2024, but he hit .304 (7-for-23) off lefties with a double, a triple and a home run. He actually has been more effective off right-handers than lefties this season at Toledo, but his overall .276/.392/.482 slash line stands out regardless.
“All I want to do is help contribute,” Jones said before the game.
For Jones, who packed his bags at the Mud Hens’ team hotel early Friday morning and caught a car from Columbus, Ohio, the call brings the 27-year-old to a familiar place for his family. Besides T.J., their late father, Andre Jones, was a linebacker who played in six games for the Lions in 1992.
“Obviously, Detroit’s got a special place in my heart,” Jahmai Jones said, “just because of the family ties. Being able to do it myself and kind of add to it, it’s everything I could ask for.”
Jones had never played in Detroit, even as a visiting player. His last swings at Comerica Park came when he worked out for the Tigers prior to the 2015 Draft. Jones went to the Angels in the second round that summer, five picks after the Tigers selected left-hander Tyler Alexander.
“A lot has changed since I’ve [last] been here, to say the least,” Jones said of Detroit.
Coincidentally, Jones’ first Major League home run came last year as a Yankee off Alexander, then a Rays reliever, at Tropicana Field. Friday’s drive was his second homer, and it came at the expense of Craig Counsell, his manager with the Brewers in 2023.
Jones signed with the Tigers on a Minor League contract last November. It was less about emotional ties, he said, and more about the chance to fill a role on a contending team. Still, the family history is special.
“Hey, I love it,” he said. “Like I said, all I care about is helping a team win. If that brings me to Detroit, it brings me to Detroit. And luckily when I got here, it was very much similar that we’re trying to win every night. And I loved it.”
Jones’ opportunity comes at the expense of Ibáñez, who turned his skill for hitting left-handed pitchers into a long-term stay with the club after being claimed off waivers from Texas two and a half years ago. Which makes the Tigers’ decision to send the southpaw-slugging specialist to Triple-A Toledo all the more poignant amid the team’s best start since 1984.
Ibáñez’s success against lefties included one of the more memorable hits of Detroit’s postseason run last year -- a pinch-hit, go-ahead, bases-clearing double off Josh Hader in Game 2 of the club’s American League Wild Card series sweep in Houston. But while the Tigers continued to put Ibáñez in favorable matchups, his struggles to hit left-handed pitching this season became more conspicuous and drew more attention from opponents willing to risk leaving a lefty in to face him.
“We need the good version of Andy to combat some of the other moves the other side makes and how left-handed we are,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “We’re fortunate the organization signed Jahmai Jones at the beginning of Minor League free agency [last fall]. He has experience in this role and will fill in as a right-handed bat.
“But there's so much good that comes with Andy. He's a big part of how we've been successful over the last couple of seasons. And he has looked off at the plate and hasn't quite been up to the level that he knows he can get at and I know he can get at. So a stint in Toledo should get him back grounded in his approach and get his swing in a good position to come back and help us.”