Former St. Thomas More and LSU standout Mikie Mahtook is back in the big leagues.

The 28-year old Mahtook was recalled from Triple A Toledo by the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday.

The opening day leftfielder, and a starter for the Tigers over the first two weeks of the season, Mahtook got off to a slow start, hitting a .129 in 31 at-bats, before being optioned to Toldeo in mid-April, where he hit a .250 with three home runs and 9 runs batted in over 22 games.

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Mahtook had a fine 2017 campaign, hitting a .276, to go along with 12 home runs and 38 runs batted in.

It was surprising when Mahtook was sent down to Triple-A last month. No; he didn't get off to the start he would have liked, hitting a .129 in 31 at-bats, but again, it was only 31 at-bats.

As I pointed out when the demotion took place; Jeff Bagwell, who was inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in 2017; hit a .125 with one homer for the entire month of April back in 1995, a season after winning the Most Valuable Player Award.

As a matter of fact, Bagwell, heading into June in 1994, was hitting a .183, but the Astros didn't send him down.

It's a good thing they didn't either, as he rebounded to finish in the top 15 in MVP voting once again in 1995.

Now, is it silly of me to compare Mathook to Bagwell, a guy who won an MVP, and a future Hall of Famer? Yes.

But my point is that it was silly to option a guy who played well for an entire 162-game schedule last year, after only 31 at-bats this year, regardless of the circumstances.

That being said, that's all in the past now.

Mahtook handled everything with class, played hard in Toledo, and earned his way back.

Here's hoping that Mahtook has a great season for Detroit, has a long, productive career in Major League Baseball, and that he never returns to the minor leagues.

Best of luck to Mikie, as he's one of the good guys!

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