His route blocked for the time being at second base, and with a shortfall of center fielders, the Detroit Tigers decided to see if Devon Travis could make the transition this fall.

That experiment lasted all of a week.

Travis played just three games in the outfield for the Double-A Erie Seawolves before being removed from an Aug. 30 game with an injury. Wednesday, he was removed from the roster of the Glendale Desert Dogs, with whom he was expected to get the outfield experience.

Chris Iott of MLive reported that Travis will have core muscle repair surgery — the same surgery that Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander had in the offseason — next week.

Ranked by MLB.com as the No. 4 prospect in the Tigers’ system, Travis missed more than a month in the early portion of the season with an oblique injury. He also played through injuries in his final season at Florida State.

Travis hit .298 with 10 home runs and 52 RBI in 100 games with Erie this season, earning a spot on the Eastern League's postseason all-star team.