Detroit Tigers third baseman Dawel Lugo is being held out of Friday's game against the Atlanta Braves with a tight back. His absence is only precautionary, so the injury doesn't appear to be serious. Lugo is currently behind Jeimer Candelario on the depth chart. As it currently stands, Lugo is off the fantasy radar in most mixed leagues. The 25-year-old hit .245/.271/.381 with six homers and 26 RBI in 273 at-bats for Detroit last year.
Gordon Beckham, Dawel Lugo Out as Tigers Visit NL Park
Detroit Tigers infielders Gordon Beckham and Dawel Lugo are not in the lineup Friday as the team prepares for a weekend series against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Miguel Cabrera is playing first base, Josh Harrison returns to the lineup playing second base, and regulars Niko Goodrum and Ronny Rodriguez round out the infield. The Mets are starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard. Though Syndergaard has struggled this season, he remains dangerous, and Detroit's lineup is poor as well. Additionally, Citi Field is historically one of the worst parks in baseball for hitters. It all adds up to a fade of the entire Tigers roster for DFS purposes.
Detroit Tigers third baseman Jeimer Candelario was optioned to Triple-A Toledo on Wednesday, opening a door for Dawel Lugo to join the big club after a fine start with the Mud Hens. Lugo will make the start at third base on Thursday, batting seventh against Chris Bassitt and the A's. Lugo has hit .341/.393/.468 across 132 AB in the minors this season and hit .213 with a home run in 94 AB last season with the Tigers.
Detroit Tigers second baseman Dawel Lugo made his first career MLB home run count. Pinch-hitting for Harold Castro in the top of the eighth inning, Lugo faced off against bullpen phenom Josh Hader with one man on base, no outs, and down by two runs. In a 3-2 count against one of the premier arms in the MLB, Lugo promptly deposited a 95.6 MPH offering 404 feet into the left field bleachers, notching his first homer and tallying two RBI as well. It has not been a hallmark start to Lugo's career so far, though, as he's hitting just .218/.269/.299 in 87 at-bats with the big league club. Lugo will look to earn a roster spot with the Tigers coming out of spring training in 2019.
Detroit Tigers second baseman Dawel Lugo hit his second double since his recent call-up against the White Sox on Tuesday and drove in two runs for good measure. Lugo now has nine hits in his first 24 at-bats with the big club after spending the bulk of the season at Triple-A Toledo. At that level, the highly-touted prospect hit .269 with 26 doubles, three homers, 12 stolen bases, and 59 RBI. Still just 23 years of age, Lugo is giving Tigers fans some positive hopes for the future during this rebuilding period.
Detroit Tigers second base prospect Dawel Lugo picked up three more hits Wednesday for Triple-A Toledo. Lugo has now hit safely in eight out of his last 10 games and has a .316 batting average over that span. Lugo's bat has added power over the last two seasons, as he had hit double-digit home runs in both. Lugo has a .280 batting average to go along with two home runs and 23 RBI this season. There isn't much that stands in the way at the big league level for Lugo, and it is likely that he will make his debut this summer. He is more of a watch-list candidate at the moment.
