Detroit Tigers Roster
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Detroit Tigers infield prospect Jace Jung launched his seventh home run of the season to power Triple-A Toledo to a victory on Friday. Across his first 38 games at Triple-A, the 23-year-old has posted an impressive .272/.383/.515 slash line. The former 12th overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft has progressed through the Detroit system very quickly as he finished the 2022 season with High-A and was able to open this season with Triple-A. Jung is ranked as the 48th overall prospect and third-best prospect in the Tigers' system on MLB Pipeline. With how well Jung is performing against Triple-A pitching, he should push for a major league debut later this summer. He is worth stashing in AL-only formats for now and should already be rostered in all keeper and dynasty leagues.
Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal tossed six innings of shutout ball while striking out six and allowing just one hit in a 13-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday. Skubal was efficient in the outing, needing just 74 pitches to cruise through his six innings of work. He didn't allow a baserunner until the fifth inning when he gave up a double to Randal Grichuck. Skubal has been dominant in 2024, posting a 6-0 record, 1.80 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, and 66 strikeouts over 55 innings of work. Skubal has to be considered a must-start in fantasy moving forward. His next start is scheduled to come against the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday.
The Detroit Tigers currently have no plans to bench struggling shortstop Javier Baez. "He's going to play, a lot," manager A.J. Hinch said. The two-time All-Star in his prime, Baez is hitting just .167 with a homer, five walks and 27 strikeouts in 37 games this year. The 31-year-old has been worth minus-one defensive runs saved at shortstop and has been the worst player in baseball when his offensive struggles are added in. His OPS has dropped in each of his three seasons in Detroit, from .671 in 2022 to .593 last year and to .422 so far in 2024. The 11-year MLB veteran had 31 extra-base hits in 136 games last year but has just five extra-base hits this year, putting him on pace for 18 extra-base hits in 2024. The return of Gio Urshela from the injured list could take some starts away from Baez at shortstop. Until Baez shows some signs of turning it around, he's basically unplayable in all fantasy formats.
Detroit Tigers shortstop prospect Kevin McGonigle extended his hit streak to six games with a two-hit performance on Wednesday. On the season, the 19-year-old has totaled 18 hits through 15 games this season with a .321/.406/.464 slash line with a long ball and an 8:8 BB:K ratio. Since he started his hit streak on May 8, he is sporting an incredible .357/.400/.536 line. McGonigle got a small taste of Single-A last season and is settling in quite nicely in his first extended look. He should be expected to reach High-A later this summer and could become a name to monitor in dynasty leagues down the road.
Detroit Tigers infield prospect Hao-Yu Lee is a former international signing from Taiwan who was acquired from the Phillies at last summer's trade deadline. He was swapped for Michael Lorenzen in a one-for-one trade, and so far, it looks like Detroit won that swap. Lee is a very polished hitter who gets good speed and strength behind his swings, works counts effectively, and hits to all parts of the field. There are also some indications that he may have some untapped (sneaky) pop. Finally, he's an above-average defender with good baseball IQ and reaction time. He'll likely play second base long-term, though he's looked solid on the left side of the infield before, too. Last week, Lee went 7-for-18 with two homers, 10 RBI, four walks, and four strikeouts. There aren't too many prospects who can hit for power while maintaining a respectable K/BB rate, but Lee is one of those players. He'll likely make his MLB debut in 2025.