TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) 鈥� The Detroit Tigers’ Triple-A manager says he was fired this week after sending an 鈥渋nappropriate鈥� text message to a female colleague.
The Tigers announced Tuesday that Gabe Alvarez had been fired for what they called a 鈥渧iolation of club policy,鈥� but they did not specify the violation.
Alvarez told ESPN on Wednesday that he sent 鈥渁 single text message to a colleague that I intended as a lighthearted joke.
鈥淪hortly after sending it, I recognized that the message was inappropriate and did not reflect the values and judgment I strive to uphold, and I immediately reached out to clarify my intent,鈥� he said.
鈥淚 never intended to cause discomfort or offense, and I regret that the message created this situation. This was an isolated incident and not reflective of my long-standing record of professionalism, respect for colleagues, and conduct over the course of my career.鈥�
The 52-year-old Alvarez played parts of three big league seasons as a third baseman for Detroit and the San Diego Padres before working as an assistant coach with USC. He was hired as a minor league hitting coordinator by Detroit in 2021, began managing Double-A Erie in 2022 and was promoted to managing Triple-A Toledo in 2025.
, The Athletic reported that the Tigers had at least eight employees accused of misconduct toward women over the previous two years. The report published in September followed an investigation that started in April 2025 and included interviews with 45 current and former employees along with access to emails, human resources documents, text messages and court records.
Six of the eight men alleged to have harassed and abused women were fired or did not have their contracts renewed and one was suspended after The Athletic requested comment about allegations against him.
The organization said in a statement then that it was 鈥渃ommitted to a culture of respect, safety, and inclusion.鈥�
In Alvarez鈥檚 absence, hitting coach Mike Hessman has been named interim manager. On Tuesday, the team is focused on moving forward after Alvarez鈥檚 firing.
鈥淭here will be questions, we don鈥檛 have a lot of answers,鈥� Hessman said. 鈥淢ain message is getting back to baseball. Things happen throughout a season. … One hurdle we鈥檒l jump over.鈥�
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