DETROIT -- Dave Dombrowski hasn't made two many bad trades in his decade as Tigers president.
He seems to have missed on one this spring, though.
Less than a month after acquiring 37-year-old shortstop Alex Gonzalez from the Baltimore Orioles for Steve Lombardozzi, the Tigers released him on Sunday.
After a walk-off hit on Opening Day, Gonzalez slumped to a .167 average with only two RBIs in nine games, and has struggled in the field.
Lombardozzi, who was acquired earlier in the offseason in the Doug Fister trade, is hitting .286 as Baltimore's starting second baseman, although with little power.
Gonzalez and Andrew Romine were thrown into a platoon when it became clear that Jose Iglesias was going to miss most, if not all, of the season with stress fractures in his shins. Romine has played well in the field, but has also been a liability at the plate.
To replace Gonzalez, the Tigers brought up a man who has defined "fringe player" in his five-year major-league career.
Danny Worth has split time between Toledo and Detroit every season since 2010. He's a perfect short-term solution because of his versatility on defense. But his lack of production at the plate has kept him from winning a permanent job.
