Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Reaches twice in Sunday's loss
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McKinstry went 1-for-3 with a walk in Sunday's 7-1 loss to the Athletics and is now batting .313 across seven appearances this season.
McKinstry isn't known as an offensive threat, but he's off to a strong start in his utility role. He started at shortstop Sunday with regular Javier Baez, who is batting just .154 so far, getting the day off. Baez will likely stick as the primary starter, though McKinstry could start to earn more playing time if he continues to reach base at a solid clip.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Could see more time at third
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With Gio Urshela not locked into the starting third base job yet, McKinstry may have a path to more regular playing time at the hot corner, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Petzold went on to note that McKinstry is still likely best suited for a utility role off the bench, but the uncertainty at third base could work in his favor. For now, Urshela along with Matt Vierling seem like the top options at the hot corner, with McKinstry available there and elsewhere across the diamond. The 28-year-old offers nice versatility, though he's never produced much offensively at the MLB level.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Likely set for bench role
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McKinstry will likely serve in a utility role for the Tigers this season with Colt Keith the presumptive starter at second base, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.
The Tigers have cycled through a handful of options at the keystone the past few seasons, but the 22-year-old Keith is seen as a potential long-term solution, and it appears that the team is ready to give him a shot. McKinstry appeared in 148 games and recorded 464 at-bats for Detroit last season, though he's likely better suited for a more limited role. Expect him to provide versatility but little offense as a utility player in 2024, which limits his fantasy upside.
McKinstry went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's loss to the Guardians.
McKinstry's second-inning home run gave him nine this season. His previous career high was seven, which he recorded in 2021, and the utility player came into the year with only 12 career MLB home runs across three seasons. Heading into 2024, McKinstry figures to retain a versatile role where he plays multiple positions, though his fantasy appeal is limited due to his lack of offensive upside.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Sitting against lefty
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McKinstry isn't in the Tigers' lineup Sunday against Oakland.
McKinstry will sit down Sunday with left-hander JP Sears on the mound for Oakland. Zack Short will start at the keystone and bat eighth while McKinstry is out.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Scores lone run Saturday
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McKinstry went 2-for-5 with a double and a run scored in Saturday's 4-1 loss to the Athletics.
McKinstry was the only Detroit player with multiple hits, and he had one of only two extra-base knocks for the team. The utility player often serves in a leadoff role, which he did Saturday, but the Tigers can struggle to put together much offense, as they're 29th in the majors in runs scored. That limits the upside of McKinstry and other Detroit hitters in run-producing spots.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Idle against southpaw
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McKinstry isn't in Detroit's lineup Friday against Oakland.
Lefty Ken Waldichuk will start on the bump for the A's on Friday, meaning the left-handed bat of McKinstry will stay put in the Tigers' dugout to begin the game. McKinstry's absence will allow Zack Short to start at second base and bat ninth.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Resting versus lefty
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McKinstry isn't in the Tigers' lineup Tuesday against the Dodgers.
With left-hander Caleb Ferguson starting on the mound for the Dodgers, the left-handed bat of McKinstry will stay put in Detroit's dugout to begin Tuesday's contest. Andy Ibanez will instead start at second base and bat second.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Sitting amid slump
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McKinstry is out of the lineup Sunday versus the Angels.
Andy Ibanez will start at second base and bat second as Zack Short plays shortstop and hits eighth. McKinstry has slashed just .135/.211/.154 with 17 strikeouts over his last 57 plate appearances dating back to Aug. 30.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Sitting against lefty
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McKinstry isn't in the Tigers' lineup Thursday against the Yankees, Erik Boland of Newsday reports.
Left-hander Carlos Rodon will toe the slab to begin Thursday's game for New York, so the lefty-hitting McKinstry will retreat to the dugout. Andy Ibanez will fill in at the keystone and bat third while McKinstry sits.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Doubles, scores Tuesday
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McKinstry went 1-for-3 with a walk, a double and a run scored in Tuesday's 4-2 loss to the Yankees.
McKinstry now has hits in three straight games and seven of his last eight appearances. The utility man is still only batting .243 overall, though that's a significant improvement from the .199 mark he posted with the Cubs and Dodgers last season. McKinstry's versatility makes him useful for the Tigers, but he's typically not the most exciting fantasy option.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Swats late homer
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McKinstry went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 17-4 loss to the Astros.
McKinstry hit a ninth-inning home run off Ryne Stanek for his eighth long ball of the season and first since July 22. He's now reached safely in eight straight games and 11 of his last 12 while splitting time between second base, third base and shortstop. The 28-year-old is now slashing .239/.310/.359 with 27 extra-base hits, 30 RBI, 49 runs, 15 steals and a 37:88 BB:K in 421 plate appearances, which smashes his previous career-high of 185 plate appearances in 2022.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Sitting versus lefty
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McKinstry isn't in the Tigers' lineup Friday against the Astros.
With southpaw Framber Valdez starting on the bump for Houston, McKinstry will begin Friday's contest on the bench. Andy Ibanez will start at the keystone and bat second.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Walks twice, swipes bag
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McKinstry went 1-for-2 with a steal in Wednesday's 6-4 loss to the Cubs.
McKinstry drew a walk in two of his first three plate appearances but was left stranded on each occasion as the Tigers failed to keep pace with Chicago's offense. Then, down two runs in the bottom of the ninth, the right fielder added a single to advance Parker Meadows to third before stealing second base to put the tying run in scoring position. McKinstry has now hit safely in three straight games and in five of his last six, tallying two RBI and two runs scored over that latter stretch while also drawing four walks.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Added to Tuesday's lineup
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McKinstry was added to Tuesday's lineup against the Cubs, starting at third base and batting ninth, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.
He typically wouldn't start with lefty Drew Smyly on the hill for Chicago, but Javier Baez was a late scratch with an illness.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Hits bench versus southpaw
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McKinstry is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Guardians.
McKinstry will join fellow left-handed hitter Akil Baddoo on the bench for the series finale while southpaw Logan Allen takes the mound for Cleveland. With McKinstry out of the lineup, Andy Ibanez will draw the starting nod at second base.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: On bench Friday
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McKinstry is out of the lineup Friday versus the Red Sox.
Andy Ibanez will play second base and Zack Short will get the start at third as the Tigers go up against left-hander Chris Sale. The left-handed-hitting McKinstry holds an overall .238/.307/.364 slash line with seven homers and 12 steals in 106 games this year.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Sitting against righty
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McKinstry is not in Saturday's lineup against the Rays.
Typically when McKinstry heads to the bench, it's because the other team is starting a lefty, but in this case he is sitting against righty Aaron Civale. McKinstry is hitting .108 with two doubles in his last 11 games. Zack Short is drawing the start at second base and hitting eighth while Matt Vierling mans the hot corner.
