Jake Rogers just had a rollercoaster journey over the last couple of weeks. His offensive struggles saw him lose the spot behind the plate for the Detroit Tigers. The catcher even had to change jerseys three times within less than three weeks. But when the homegrown star returned to Comerica Park, people made sure to let him know how much they love and respect him.

“He deserves every bit of it,” Detroit SportsNet captioned the clip on X where the Tigers fans offered a standing ovation to Rogers. 

Comerica Park has been Rogers’ home since his major league debut in 2019. He has provided solid glovework and had a great clubhouse presence, but then came the .161 batting average and .567 OPS, which ultimately cost him his spot on the roster, and Detroit traded him. When he returned to his former home wearing a Chicago White Sox jersey, he wasn’t seen as a rival. Instead, both the players and fans in Detroit showered him with admiration, and it was particularly special given his whirlwind journey.

The Tigers traded him to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for minor league right-hander Zane Barnhart on July 30, but the catcher made just 3 appearances with the team before they sent him to the Boston Red Sox on August 3. However, his tenure again lasted only for 3 games. The Red Sox DFA’d him on August 11. Within 3 days, Chicago swooped in and claimed him off waivers, and became his fourth home in less than 3 weeks. 

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On Saturday, he made his first appearance against his former team. Jake Rogers made his way to the batter’s box for the first time in the second with the teams tied at 1-1. While he was preparing to face the first pitch from the Tigers starter, the announcer remarked:

“For the White Sox, please welcome back to Comerica Park, the Catcher No. 28, Jake Rogers.”

The people in the stands were already on their feet, clapping and cheering for the 31-year-old. Troy Melton, his former teammate, stepped off the mound for a moment to let him take it all in. Even Eduardo Valencia, who replaced him as the Tigers’ catcher, applauded him from behind the plate, showing how much he still means to the club. 

But Rogers was still just trying to settle in, and he tapped his helmet, showing mutual respect to the organization. He could hardly have thought of such a journey when he signed the 1-year, $3.05 million deal for 2026. 

“It’s been a crazy few weeks here, been a whirlwind to say the least,” he said. “It’s been fun to kind of meet some new guys and kind of bounce around, so to say. But it’s kind of good to get settled in here with Chicago…”

Jake Rogers went 0-for-4 in his debut but was solid as usual behind the plate, and that was enough for the Chicago White Sox to clinch the series against the Tigers with a 4-3 win in the second game.