Keith was scratched from the lineup for Sunday's game against the Royals due to an illness, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
Keith had been slated to start at third base and bat leadoff, but Zach McKinstry will instead get the nod at the hot corner Sunday, while center fielder Wenceel Perez sets the table for Detroit. Assuming the illness isn't anything too debilitating, Keith should have a good chance at returning to the lineup for Monday's series opener in Sacramento versus the Athletics. Keith had followed up a recent five-game hitting streak by going 0-for-8 with one walk and five strikeouts over his last three starts.
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Tigers' Colt Keith: Settling in at third base
Rotowire
Keith is adjusting well to playing third base this season and could be the Tigers' long-term solution at the position, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.
Despite coming up through the minors as a third baseman, Keith spent most of his 2024 rookie season playing second. This year, the Tigers had designs on him playing first, but Spencer Torkelson's resurgence eventually pushed Keith back over to the hot corner. The 24-year-old is reacclimating well defensively, and he's also been producing at the plate, posting a .301/.379/.488 slash line since the start of July. Detroit reportedly pursued Alex Bregman and others this past offseason to slot in at third, but with Keith looking comfortable, he could lock down the starting role for the foreseeable future given his age and offensive upside.
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Tigers' Colt Keith: Idle against lefty
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Keith is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Astros, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
Detroit is stocking up on extra right-handed bats to counter Astros southpaw Framber Valdez, so Keith will hit the bench for the series finale along with fellow left-handed hitters Zach McKinstry, Trey Sweeney and Kerry Carpenter. Keith -- who had started in each of the last eight games -- is slashing just .143/.200/.167 over 45 plate appearances against lefties this season.
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Tigers' Colt Keith: Big effort in easy win
Rotowire
Keith went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run, two RBI and two total runs scored in Monday's 10-0 win over the Astros. He also stole a base.
Keith batted leadoff and paced the Tigers' 10-run, 13-hit onslaught. He's now up to 11 home runs this season, but the stolen base was his first after swiping seven as a rookie in 2024. Keith is batting a robust .354 over his last 15 games with three home runs, seven RBI and 11 runs scored. With the 24-year-old locked into the No. 1 spot in the order against righties, he should continue to produce good fantasy stats as part of a potent Detroit offense.
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Tigers' Colt Keith: Reaches three times in win
Rotowire
Keith went 1-for-2 with two walks, a double and a run scored in Saturday's 8-5 win over the Twins.
Keith made an impact before getting lifted for a pinch hitter in the seventh inning when the Twins turned to a lefty out of the bullpen. The Tigers are limiting Keith's exposure to southpaws -- he has only 42 at-bats in those matchups this year along with a rough .367 OPS. It's been a different story against righties, as he has an .818 OPS in 291 at-bats against opposite-handed pitching.
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Tigers' Colt Keith: Launches home run Tuesday
Rotowire
Keith went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run in Tuesday's 9-6 loss to the White Sox.
Keith waited for the ninth inning to truly chip in Tuesday, but he made his mark with his 10th home run of the season. The 23-year-old has been good lately with a .433 batting average and two home runs across his last 10 games. Keith is seeing regular time as Detroit's leadoff hitter against righties, which gives his fantasy value a boost due to the strong lineup around him.
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Tigers' Colt Keith: Exiting lineup for series opener
Rotowire
Keith is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the White Sox, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
The White Sox are having right-hander Elvis Peguero open the game, but since lefty Tyler Alexander is expected to work in bulk relief behind him, the left-handed-hitting Keith will retreat to the bench for the series opener in Chicago. With Keith exiting the starting nine, Kerry Carpenter will serve as the Tigers' designated hitter and Andy Ibanez will start at third base.
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Tigers' Colt Keith: Homer, three hits in win
Rotowire
Keith went 3-for-5 with a solo home run in Saturday's 7-5 win over the Phillies.
Keith was perfect at the plate against Zack Wheeler, collecting three hits and putting the Tigers on the board with a solo homer in the third inning. The 23-year-old had gone just 3-for-31 in his first 12 games after the All-Star break but has bounced back with a 6-for-9 stretch over his past three contests, adding two RBI and three runs scored. On the season, he's slashing .258/.339/.416 with nine homers, 33 RBI and 46 runs scored across 339 plate appearances.
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Tigers' Colt Keith: Three hits from leadoff spot
Rotowire
Keith went 3-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored in Wednesday's 7-2 win over the Diamondbacks.
Batting leadoff, Keith did an excellent job setting the table before getting lifted for a pinch hitter in the sixth inning. Prior to then, the young infielder delivered his third three-hit effort of the season, all of which have come this month. The Tigers are rumored to be exploring third basemen leading up to Thursday's trade deadline, which would impact Keith's role, but for now he's the team's top option at the hot corner, at least against righties.
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Tigers' Colt Keith: Sitting against lefty
Rotowire
Keith is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Diamondbacks.
Keith will join fellow left-handed hitters Zach McKinstry and Kerry Carpenter on the bench while southpaw Eduardo Rodriguez takes the hill for Arizona. With Keith sitting out, Jahmai Jones will serve as Detroit's designated hitter.
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Tigers' Colt Keith: Reaches three times in loss
Rotowire
Keith went 1-for-3 with two walks and two runs scored in Saturday's 15-7 loss to the Mariners.
Despite the lopsided loss, Keith continued his strong performance as Detroit's leadoff man. He's batted first in each of his starts dating back to June 19, and during that time, Keith is batting .319 with four home runs, 10 RBI and 14 runs scored across 19 games. The young infielder's fantasy stock is on the rise given his prime position atop a potent Detroit lineup that is sixth in the majors in runs scored.
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Tigers' Colt Keith: Big effort in win
Rotowire
Keith went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a solo home run and an additional run scored in Monday's 5-1 win over the Rays.
Keith batted leadoff and delivered his second three-hit effort of the season, which included his seventh home run of the year. His other three-hit performance came just five days ago, and the 23-year-old is now batting a robust .450 this month with five extra-base knocks across six games. The left-hand hitting Keith is still sitting regularly against southpaws, but the youngster is developing into a dynamic offensive player when facing righties.
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Tigers' Colt Keith: Could stick at third
Rotowire
Keith, who has been playing more at third base recently, could stick at the position more permanently, with Matt Vierling also mixing in, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.
Keith has now made six career starts at the hot corner, all of which have come this month. The 23-year-old was originally destined to play at first and second base this season, but shifting over to third has allowed him to stay in the lineup while also finding time for Spencer Torkelson and Gleyber Torres across the diamond. The Tigers pursued Alex Bregman in the offseason to handle the position, though it seems like the team may be content with Keith as the primary option now, at least against righties. Vierling, who recently returned from the injured list after missing time due to a shoulder injury, figures to see more playing time when a lefty is starting, giving Keith's left-handed bat a break.
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Tigers' Colt Keith: Smacks two-run homer late
Rotowire
Keith went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Friday's 14-8 loss to Tampa Bay.
Keith cut into the Rays' lead with a two-run long ball to right field in the ninth inning. Keith has had an up-and-down 2025 campaign, but he has been better in June with a .279/.360/.488 slash line with three doubles, two home runs and eight RBI in 50 plate appearances. He has yet to log a steal after swiping seven bags across 148 games in 2024.
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Tigers' Colt Keith: Not starting Thursday
Rotowire
Keith is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Orioles.
With Baltimore using lefty Keegan Akin as the opener, Keith will begin the game on the bench, as he's batting just .156 with a .416 OPS against southpaws this year. However, righty Dean Kremer is expected to be the bulk pitcher after Akin departs, so Keith is an option to pinch hit at some point when a more favorable matchup presents itself.
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Tigers' Colt Keith: Making first career start at 3B
Rotowire
Keith will start at third base and bat seventh in Wednesday's game against the Orioles, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
Manager A.J. Hinch indicated last week that Keith had begun taking reps at third base, and he could emerge as an option at the position with the Tigers having thus far received underwhelming production at that spot from the likes of Zach McKinstry, Javier Baez and Andy Ibanez. Keith played an inning at third base in a 3-2 extra-inning loss to the White Sox last Thursday, but he'll now get the chance to make his first MLB start at the position. The 23-year-old came up through the system as a third baseman, but after suffering a labrum injury in July 2022 that affected his throwing, Keith turned his focus to playing second base, first base and designated hitter. Now long removed from the shoulder injury, he still likely profiles as a low-end defender at third base, but if he can prove to be merely adequate, that may be enough for him to find a home at the position. Keith continues to provide good reason for the Tigers to keep his bat in the lineup against right-handed pitching, as he's slashing .283/.333/.475 since the beginning of May.
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Tigers' Colt Keith: Could settle in at third base
Rotowire
Keith, who is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the White Sox, recently began taking pregame reps at third base and is now considered an available option at the position, Evan Petzold of The Detroit Free Press reports."Just giving [Keith] different looks on ground balls," Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Wednesday. "He used to play third base a little bit, so it's not that foreign to him. You may see him there from time to time. We'll see."
Keith saw the majority of his playing time at third base in the minors, but due to concerns about his throwing after he suffered a labrum injury in his right shoulder in July 2022, he hasn't played the position at all since reaching the big leagues in 2024 and has instead served as a second baseman, first baseman or designated hitter. The Tigers never fully closed the door on Keith getting a look at third base, however, and the 23-year-old appears poised to get an opportunity to prove he can hold up defensively at the hot corner while Detroit looks to extract more offense from the position. Zach McKinstry, Andy Ibanez and Javier Baez have all received double-digit starts at third base this season, but with Ibanez typically being used as a short-side platoon player and with McKinstry and Baez both beginning to see their production at the plate trend down, Keith could represent a notable upgrade. Since May 1, Keith is slashing .293/.333/.500 with three home runs, 13 RBI and 18 runs in 27 games.
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Tigers' Colt Keith: Absent from lineup
Rotowire
Keith is not in the lineup for Thursday's game versus the White Sox.
Kerry Carpenter will likely be limited to designated-hitter duties for a bit as he overcomes a hamstring issue, which is affecting Keith's playing time. Keith has been absent from the lineup twice in the last three contests after he had started each of the previous seven tilts.
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Tigers' Colt Keith: Stays hot in rout
Rotowire
Keith went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a walk in Monday's 13-1 victory over the White Sox.
Keith extended his hitting streak to nine games, and he also has at least one knock in 13 of his last 15 outings. Since May 14, the infielder is hitting .304 (17-for-56) with five RBI, seven doubles and nine runs scored. The lefty-hitting Keith has been getting most of his starts at designated hitter lately, but he has already played enough second base to qualify there in 2026 and could also add first base eligibility. He should continue to hit in the middle of the Tigers lineup against righties.
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Tigers' Colt Keith: Not in Tuesday's lineup
Rotowire
Keith is absent from the lineup for Tuesday's contest in St. Louis.
Keith has now been out of the lineup two times over the last three games, and all three have been against right-handed pitching. Riley Greene is at designated hitter and Spencer Torkelson is at first base for the Tigers.
