DETROIT — Three former Detroit Tigers have recently signed contracts to play overseas in 2026.
Right-handed pitcher Wilkel Hernandez and outfielder Daz Cameron will play in Korea, while left-handed pitcher Easton Lucas has joined a team in Japan.
Hernandez, a 26-year-old native of Venezuela, will play for the Hanwha Eagles of the KBO. He’s been part of the Tigers’ organization since 2017, when he arrived from the Los Angeles Angels in the Ian Kinsler trade.
Hernandez labored for years in West Michigan before getting his first full-season assignment with Double-A Erie in 2024. He made the most of it, pitching well enough to earn his first invitation to the Tigers’ big-league camp in 2025.
Hernandez spent the entire 2025 season with Triple-A Toledo, leading the Mud Hens in innings pitched (114 1/3).
Cameron, who turns 29 in January, signed with the KBO’s Doosan Bears after playing in parts of five big-league seasons from 2020-2025.
The Tigers acquired Cameron from the Houston Astros in 2017 along with two other prospects — right-hander Franklin Pérez and catcher Jake Rogers — in exchange for Justin Verlander.
He made his MLB debut during the COVID-shortened 2020 season but never got an extended look in Detroit’s outfield, ultimately hitting .201 with five homers and nine stolen bases in 73 games with the Tigers over parts of three seasons.
He was waived by the Tigers after the 2022 season and claimed off waivers by the Orioles. He’s since spent time with the Athletics and the Milwaukee Brewers.
Lucas, 29, will play for the Hanshin Tigers in Nippon Professional Baseball, considered the highest-level Asian league.
Lucas had a brief tenure with the Tigers in 2024. He had two stints with the big-league club but spent most of his time with Triple-A Toledo after the Tigers claimed him off waivers from the Athletics on May 18, 2024.
Lucas struck out 39 and walked 15 while posting a 3.51 ERA in 33 1/3 innings with the Mud Hens before being claimed by the Blue Jays. He pitched in six games, including five starts, for Toronto in 2025.
Lucas was selected out of Pepperdine University in the 14th round of the 2019 draft by the Miami Marlins. Only seven months later, he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles for infielder Jonathan Villar. The Orioles later dealt him to Oakland for reliever Shintaro Fujinami.
Lucas pitched briefly in the big leagues for Oakland in 2023 and 2024 before joining the Tigers.
This trio joins right-hander Matt Manning, who also recently agreed to a one-year deal to play in Korea.
AloJapan.com