Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Taking seat against southpaw
Rotowire
McKinstry is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Royals.
Though he'll hit the bench Sunday with lefty Noah Cameron taking the hill for the Royals, the left-handed-hitting McKinstry has been included in the lineup in all three of the Tigers' matchups with right-handed starters/bulk relievers since being activated from the injured list Tuesday. McKinstry is playing through a Grade 3 tear of his pelvic bone that he sustained back on April 15, but he'll likely hold down a strong-side platoon role for Detroit until the team gets one or both of Gleyber Torres (oblique) and Javier Baez (ankle) back from the IL.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Coming back from Grade 3 tear
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McKinstry revealed Tuesday that he was diagnosed with a Grade 3 tear off the pelvic bone when he was placed on the 10-day injured list in mid-April, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.
The initial feeling was that McKinstry could be shelved for 6-to-8 weeks, but the location of the tear allowed the utility player to return Tuesday after just a three-week absence. The nature of the injury would seem to leave McKinstry susceptible to a setback, but he will attempt to play through it for now. McKinstry is starting at third base and batting eighth Tuesday versus the Red Sox.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Activated Tuesday
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The Tigers reinstated McKinstry (hip) from the 10-day injured list Tuesday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
McKinstry landed on the shelf in mid-April due to hip inflammation, and he's now rejoining the Tigers after going 1-for-11 with a homer during a three-game rehab assignment. Manager A.J. Hinch said earlier in the day that the veteran utility man will be in the lineup for Tuesday's matchup with the Red Sox, but the Tigers have yet to officially release their starting nine for the contest.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Activation coming Tuesday
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Manager A.J. Hinch said that McKinstry (hip) will be reinstated from the 10-day injured list and be in the lineup Tuesday against the Red Sox, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.
The 31-year-old has been sidelined nearly three weeks due to left hip inflammation but is ready to rejoin the Tigers after a three-game rehab assignment. McKinstry has yet to get his bat going this season with a .209/.261/.326 slash line in 46 plate appearances.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Could be activated Tuesday
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McKinstry (hip) has rejoined the Tigers in Detroit and could be activated from the 10-day injured list prior to Tuesday's game versus the Red Sox, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
McKinstry is 1-for-11 with a home run in his first three rehab contests. He will go through a workout Monday before the Tigers decide whether McKinstry is ready to be activated Tuesday or needs another rehab game or two. The super utility player has missed more than two weeks with left hip/abdominal inflammation.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Begins rehab assignment
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McKinstry (hip) went 0-for-3 with a strikeout Thursday in his first rehab game with Single-A Lakeland.
McKinstry has been cleared for game action after missing the past two weeks with left hip/abdominal inflammation. He didn't play a full game Thursday, and the Tigers likely want him to do that before he's activated, but McKinstry could return to Detroit's active roster as soon as next week.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Going through light activities
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McKinstry (hip) has resumed light baseball activities, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
McKinstry landed on the 10-day injured list last week with left hip/abdominal inflammation but has started to slowly ramp things back up at the Tigers' spring training complex in Florida. He has a good chance to return Sunday when first eligible.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Sent to 10-day IL
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The Tigers placed McKinstry on the 10-day injured list Friday with left hip/abdominal inflammation.
McKinstry was forced from Wednesday's game against the Royals with a couple of issues, as he was also said to be dealing with a scraped chest. It's been a tough start to the 2026 campaign for the 2025 All-Star, as McKinstry is slashing just .209/.261/.326 across 46 plate appearances. In a corresponding move, the Tigers recalled Hao-Yu Lee from Triple-A Toledo.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Will undergo further testing on hip
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Manager A.J. Hinch said Thursday that McKinstry will undergo further testing on his injured hip, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
According to Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic, McKinstry is also dealing with an arm/shoulder issue and a scraped chest. McKinstry is "not moving around well" Thursday after he was pulled from Wednesday's game following a collision with Jac Caglianone. "We're going to continue to get him looked at," Hinch added. It sounds like McKinstry could be looking at a possible trip to the injured list. The utility man has not had a good start to the season at the plate, slashing .209/.261/.326 with one home run, five RBI, two runs scored and a 3:10 BB:K across 46 plate appearances. McKinstry posted a career-best .771 OPS last season and was named an All-Star.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Exits after collision
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McKinstry was removed from Wednesday's game against the Royals after colliding with Jac Caglianone in the seventh inning, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.
A grounder to third base put McKinstry in the path of the running Caglianone, causing the former to trip and come up favoring his left leg. The severity of McKinstry's injury remains unknown, but any missed time would likely open up more opportunities for Matt Vierling and Wenceel Perez.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Heading to bench Wednesday
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McKinstry is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks.
McKinstry had started in three of the Tigers' last four matchups against right-handed pitchers, but he'll take a seat Wednesday against righty Zac Gallen. The final spot in Detroit's everyday lineup versus righties looks like it could come down to McKinstry and Javier Baez, but neither player has done much in the early going to take control of a regular role. McKinstry has gone 1-for-8 with three strikeouts thus far, while Baez has two hits in 11 at-bats.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Reaches deal with Tigers
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McKinstry agreed to a one-year, $4.2 million contract with the Tigers on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
McKinstry took a massive step forward at the plate in 2025, finishing the year with a .259/.333/.438 slash line alongside 12 homers, 49 RBI, 68 runs scored and 19 stolen bases across 511 regular-season plate appearances. He doesn't seem to have a clear path to playing time at any one position in 2026, though he should still be able to crack the starting nine with some regularity thanks to his defensive versatility.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Goes deep off bench Saturday
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McKinstry went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in Saturday's 6-5 loss to Atlanta.
The veteran utility player appeared as a pinch hitter for Andy Ibanez in the sixth inning and promptly launched his 12th home run of the season. McKinstry has been a surprising source of offense all year, as the 12 long balls are already a new career high, as are his 49 RBI. McKinstry is also sporting a .769 OPS through 138 games, which is well ahead of his career .679 mark.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Out Wednesday with back issue
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McKinstry (back) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Yankees, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
McKinstry is day-to-day will back stiffness, which resulted in him being scratched from the lineup ahead of Tuesday's 12-2 win. He'll remain on the bench Wednesday, though even if fully healthy, the left-handed-hitting utility player might have sat anyway with southpaw Carlos Rodon on the bump for New York.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Battling back stiffness
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McKinstry was scratched from the lineup ahead of Tuesday's game against the Yankees due to upper-back stiffness.
McKinstry lost what had been a six-game hitting streak during Sunday's contest, and his back will now force him to the bench for Tuesday's series opener. While he recovers, Trey Sweeney will start at shortstop and bat ninth.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Drives in two in loss
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McKinstry went 2-for-3 with a walk, a triple, a run scored and two RBI in Monday's 10-8 loss to the Mets.
McKinstry continued his nice stretch at the plate, as he's now batting .323 over his last 10 games with a home run, five RBI and six runs scored. Monday's triple was the utility player's 11th of the season, which is seven more than anyone else on the team. On the year, McKinstry is now sporting a .789 OPS, which would be a new career best.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Idle Saturday
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McKinstry isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Royals.
McKinstry will sit down Saturday after making seven consecutive starts, going 7-for-24 with a homer, three RBI and four runs scored in the process. Trey Sweeney will take his place at shortstop and bat eighth.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Reaches three times in loss
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McKinstry went 2-for-4 with a walk and an RBI in Tuesday's 7-6 extra-inning loss to the Athletics.
McKinstry has been on a nice run lately, as he's batting .323 over his last 10 games with a home run, two stolen bases, four RBI and five runs scored. The veteran utility player has had a strong year overall, slashing .265/.342/.448 across 120 contests. It's been a big offensive jump for McKinstry, who has a career slash line of just .232/.300/.381 in six MLB seasons.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Out of lineup Wednesday
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McKinstry is not in the lineup for Wednesday's contest versus the White Sox.
McKinstry has gone 0-for-6 with five strikeouts in the first two games of the series and is slashing only .172/.243/.328 in the second half, so he'll get a day off to regroup. Colt Keith is at third base and batting leadoff for the Tigers.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Idle against lefty
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McKinstry is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies.
The left-handed-hitting McKinstry will take a seat for the second time in the series while the Phillies send another southpaw (Cristopher Sanchez) to the hill. With McKinstry on the bench, Javier Baez will cover shortstop, and Matt Vierling will serve as the Tigers' starting center fielder.
