Zach McKinstry Fantasy Stats

Detroit Tigers infielder Zach McKinstry (back) is starting at the hot corner and is batting eighth for the first-place Tigers in Friday night's game on the road against the hosting Miami Marlins and right-hander Sergio Alcantara. McKinstry will return to the fold on Friday evening after sitting out the last three games with a back injury. With McKinstry returning, infielder Colt Keith will serve as Detroit's designated hitter. The 30-year-old McKinstry has provided some decent power/speed numbers for fantasy managers in deeper leagues this year with a .266/.342/.447 slash line, 11 long balls, 48 RBI, 65 runs scored, and 19 stolen bases in his 418 at-bats. He has gone 7-for-20 so far in September with three doubles, a triple, and five RBI in six games. McKinstry is hitless in two career at-bats against Alcantara.

Detroit Tigers shortstop Zach McKinstry (back) remains out of the lineup for Thursday's game in the Bronx against the New York Yankees due to a back injury that will cause him to miss a third straight start. Javier Baez is manning shortstop and will hit ninth for Detroit against Yankees right-hander Cam Schlittler. McKinstry is considered day-to-day, with his next chance to return to the lineup coming in Friday's series opener in Miami against the Marlins. Baez has had a resurgent year at the plate in 2025 while becoming more of a utility man for the first-place Tigers, but he's hitting .143 (6-for-42) with no homers, three RBI, three runs and a 14:1 K:BB in 13 games since Aug. 1. He has one hit and three strikeouts in the first four games of September and has never faced Schlittler in his career.

Detroit Tigers infielder/outfielder Zach McKinstry (back) has been out of the lineup for two straight games against the New York Yankees with discomfort in his upper back. McKinstry has responded well to treatment, though, and he's hopeful that he'll return on Thursday for the series finale, Chris McCosky of the Detroit News reports. The versatile McKinstry has played between 14 and 75 games at four different positions (primarily third base) and slashed a career-best .266/.332/.447 with 11 homers, 48 RBI, 65 runs, and 19 steals across 475 plate appearances in 2025. McKinstry slumped to a .697 OPS in August, but the first-time All-Star is off to a 7-for-20 start with five RBI in his first six games this month.

Detroit Tigers second baseman Zach McKinstry went 3-for-4 with a two-run triple in his team's 8-0 win against the visiting Athletics. He also singled, doubled, scored a run, and swiped a bag. McKinstry did it all on Thursday and has rebounded nicely from a May in which he hit .200. He's been much more productive since the calendar flipped to June, going 21-for-69 (.304) with a double, a long ball, five (!) triples, six steals, and ten runs scored. The Central Michigan alum's BABIP is wildly high by his standards (.347) and could come back down to Earth a bit with a batting line nearly 20 points higher than his .258 xBA (.277). Still, it's worth noting he's hitting more line drives and pulling the ball more often in 2025.

Detroit Tigers infielder Zach McKinstry is expected to make the Opening Day roster. With Matt Vierling (shoulder) expected to open the season on the injured list, McKinstry has a viable path to opening the season in the major leagues. Earlier in the offseason, McKinstry inked a one-year deal worth $1.65 million to avoid arbitration. The 29-year-old appeared in 118 contests for Detroit last season. Across this stint, McKinstry posted a .215/.277/.337 slash line with four home runs and 16 stolen bases. He showed a solid eye at the plate as he only struck out at a 21.2 percent of the time. However, he also generated a modest .238 xBA with a .364 xSLG. Fantasy managers should expect McKinstry to operate in a utility role during the 2025 campaign once again and will carry value in deeper AL-only formats.

Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said the team is planning for "optionality" at third base in 2024 between Matt Vierling, Andy Ibanez and Zach McKinstry. Prospect Colt Keith, who signed a long-term contract extension last weekend, will play second base and is expected to be an everyday contributor. The 27-year-old Vierling should be the primary third baseman coming out of spring training. The Tigers moved Vierling from the outfield to the hot corner in August of 2023. He's unlikely to be an above-average contributor on offense without hitting for more power. Ibanez, 30, responded to a bad start last year by hitting .294 with 10 homers in his final 87 games. Ibanez, who hits right-handed, and McKinstry set up as natural platoon partners at third base, but McKinstry struggled at the plate in 2023. Prospect Jace Jung could become the team's regular third baseman by the end of the 2024 season.

Detroit Tigers utility player Zach McKinstry is not in the starting lineup Monday when the club takes on the Texas Rangers and left-hander Andrew Heaney. Typically the Tigers' leadoff man against right-handed pitching, McKinstry will sit against the southpaw as he's hitting just .143 without an extra-base hit across 13 plate appearances versus lefties this season, albeit with four walks in that time. Additionally, McKinstry has struggled mightily in the month of June, hitting .167 with a .454 OPS across 82 trips to the plate for the month. The righty-swinging Matt Vierling will hit leadoff on Monday while Andy Ibanez takes over in right field in McKinstry's stead against the Rangers.

Detroit Tigers utility man Zach McKinstry is leading off Monday's game against Nathan Eovaldi and the Texas Rangers. It's a tough matchup, but the 28-year-old has been superb with the bat over 44 games, slashing .295/.409/.451 with four home runs, 23 runs, 10 RBI, and 10 steals, and hit .391 over the last week. McKinstry's production came almost out of nowhere after he was drafted in the 33rd round back in 2016, and he owned a .208 average and .652 OPS across his previous three seasons in the big leagues. If he's still available on the waiver wire, fantasy managers should think about adding him to their roster.

Detroit Tigers utility man Zach McKinstry is leading off on Saturday to take on Bryce Miller and the Seattle Mariners. The 28-year-old has now led off 12 of the past 16 games, and rightfully so, as he's slashing .280/.362/.415 with two homers, 13 runs, six RBI, and five stolen bases over 31 games. McKinstry has never been a fantasy option in his previous three seasons at the big-league level, but if he continues producing at the top of the order, he can be a sneaky waiver-wire option for fantasy managers in deep leagues due to his speed, average, and run scoring.

The Detroit Tigers acquired utilityman Zach McKinstry Monday from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for relief pitcher Carlos Guzman. The 27-year-old is out of Minor League options, so the Tigers are expected to carry him on their Opening Day roster. Right-handed pitcher Freddy Pacheco (elbow) was recalled from Triple-A Toledo and placed on the 60-day injured list with a right elbow sprain in a corresponding move. McKinstry only slashed .199/.273/.361 in 185 plate appearances with the Dodgers and Cubs last season, but he played second, third, shortstop, and outfield. While he may serve a useful role for the Cubs, he can be avoided in fantasy leagues.