GM scratches Chevy Blazer from the lineup at Comerica Park

The red

Chevrolet Blazer

RS that

GM hoisted onto to the centerfield display

at Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers, had an all-too-brief run in the majors, its promising rookie season cut short by complicated forces beyond its control before seeing a single game, replaced on the roster by a wily veteran with less flash but a bit more girth and power.

The

Detroit Free Press reports

that GM quietly and without fanfare took down the

Blazer

from the centerfield

Chevrolet

Fountain display over the weekend and replaced it with a white 2019

Chevy Traverse

. The reason? Controversy over the

Blazer’s made-in-Mexico bonafides

and the potential to sow discord among

UAW

supporters and members, who had lobbied hard to get the all-new SUV in a U.S. plant, are fighting to keep GM from

closing four domestic plants

, and who will negotiate new labor contracts with the Detroit automakers this year.

GM also swapped the silver

Silverado 1500

LT Trail Boss for a red one, presumably to add some visual pop. The Silverado is built in Fort Wayne, Indiana, while the

Traverse

is built up the road from Detroit at the Lansing Delta Township plan.

GM last week had hoisted the

Blazer

atop the centerfield display as part of a 10-year sponsorship tradition of displaying

new vehicles

at the ballpark. They replaced a

Traverse

and a

Colorado

ZR2 from the 2018 season. Chevrolet is the Official Vehicle of Major League Baseball, and the vehicles displayed on the Chevrolet Fountain appear every time a Tigers home is broadcast on television.

But the Blazer lasted less than a week, and was removed before the Tigers host their home opener on Thursday. “We want people to enjoy baseball without distractions, so we are going to replace the

Chevrolet Blazer

with a

Chevrolet Traverse

at the Comerica Fountain,” GM said in a statement. “American workers contribute significantly to the success of the Chevrolet Blazer. The Blazer generates more than half a billion dollars into the U.S. manufacturing economy each year, helping support thousands of good-paying U.S. jobs.”

Both engine options for the Blazer are built in the U.S. — the 2.5-liter four-cylinder is made in Buffalo, New York, and the 3.6-liter V6 is built in GM’s Romulus Powertrain plant near Detroit — and more than half of its components are sourced from U.S. and Canadian suppliers, Cain told the Freep. The

Blazer just went on sale

earlier this year and is still ramping up production.