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Clark is batting .138 (8-for-58) with a double and no home runs in his past 15 games with Triple-A Toledo.
The 21-year-old had a hot start to the campaign with a 1.010 OPS and 10:6 BB:K in his first 17 Triple-A contests, but his production has cratered since mid-April. Clark remains one of Detroit's top prospects, but he'll likely need to show he can consistently handle Triple-A pitching before he's in serious consideration for a promotion.
Clark is slashing .352/.439/.537 with zero home runs, six steals, a 15.2 percent walk rate and a 7.6 percent strikeout rate in 14 games for Triple-A Toledo.
The Tigers are currently deploying a combination of Javier Baez and Matt Vierling in center field with Parker Meadows (broken arm, concussion) on the 60-day injured list. Clark will certainly stay at Triple-A for the rest of the week, as the Tigers gain an extra year of control by keeping him down until April 20, but once that threshold is passed, Detroit could hand the keys to Clark in center field. As with many great up-the-middle prospects, Clark's power is a little behind the rest of his tools, but he is such a good pure hitter that he should get the most of his average raw power.
This was the expected outcome for the top prospect, who has yet to appear above the Double-A level and is still only 21 years old. While Clark went just 2-for-18 with five strikeouts in Grapefruit League play, he still managed to impress manager A.J. Hinch with his preparation and attention to detail, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports. Clark will likely see time at both the Double-A and Triple-A levels this season, and he could force himself up to the majors if he plays well in the minors, though he'll need to be added to the 40-man roster first.
In 26 games since getting promoted to Double-A Erie, Clark is slashing .274/.371/.481 with four home runs and 10 RBI.
Clark has adjusted well so far to the jump up in level, and he's also impacting the game with his speed, as he has six steals in six attempts for Erie. The 20-year-old outfielder is one of the top prospects in baseball, and he has the potential to be a five-tool player at some point in the majors. For now, expect Clark to keep developing at Double-A, with a promotion to Triple-A Toledo a possibility later in the year.
The Tigers promoted Clark from High-A West Michigan to Double-A Erie on Sunday.
Clark will move up to Double-A after slashing .285/.430/.427 with seven home runs and 12 stolen bases over 68 games with West Michigan. The 20-year-old outfielder will make the jump to Erie along with two of the Tigers' other top prospects in shortstop Kevin McGonigle and catcher Josue Briceno.
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