Tigers' Eduardo Valencia: Homers again in season finale
Rotowire
Valencia went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Pirates.
The 26-year-old backstop along with Kevin McGonigle provided all of Detroit's offense in the regular season finale with a pair of solo home runs, giving Valencia two homers in as many days. The rookie thus wraps up an impressive debut campaign in which he batted .341 with a 1.016 OPS and eight long balls across 42 games. MLB pitchers will certainly make adjustments in how they attack Valencia next year, though he looks like a more-than-capable hitter in the majors who could see his fantasy value climb if his role with the Tigers expands.
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Tigers' Eduardo Valencia: Walks it off Saturday
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Valencia went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Pirates.
His one knock was a big one, as Valencia lofted a curveball from Pittsburgh closer Mason Montgomery just over the wall in left field for a walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth inning. It was Valencia's seventh homer in 41 games since making his big-league debut in early July, a stretch in which he's also delivered a stunning .344/.383/.624 slash line. Dillon Dingler is locked in as Detroit's No. 1 catcher, but Valencia has made a strong case to be a regular part of the lineup in 2027, either at DH or behind the plate when Dingler gets a day off.
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Tigers' Eduardo Valencia: Reaches five times in win
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Valencia went 2-for-2 with three walks, a double and three runs scored in Friday's 8-7 win over the Pirates.
Valencia was dialed in at the plate Friday, and he set a new season high with the three walks as well as reaching base five times overall. The rookie has been a revelation with a .350/.391/.617 slash line across 128 plate appearances. It remains to be seen how Detroit will manage both Valencia and Dillon Dingler behind the plate in 2027, but Valencia has seemingly earned a role, perhaps as a more frequent DH option.
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Tigers' Eduardo Valencia: Stays dialed in Sunday
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Valencia, who went 3-for-4 in Sunday's 8-1 loss to the White Sox, is batting .406 through nine games this month.
Valencia had half of Detroit's six hits as a team Sunday, and his lack of counting stats can be attributed to a struggling lineup around him. Nonetheless, the rookie has been raking with three multi-hit performances over his last five games, and he's now batting a robust .339 overall with a .974 OPS across 109 at-bats this season. It's still a relatively small sample, but Valencia is certainly making a strong case for an expanded role heading into 2027.
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Tigers' Eduardo Valencia: Tallies three hits in win
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Valencia went 3-for-4 with a walk, a double and a run scored in Saturday's 11-7 win over the Rockies.
Valencia isn't seeing everyday playing time as the backup to Dillon Dingler behind the plate, but he's performing well when given the opportunity. The 26-year-old rookie is slashing .320/.340/.598 with six home runs and 18 RBI across 97 at-bats so far this season. It will be interesting to see what Valencia's role will be in 2027, as it appears he can hit at the MLB level, but the 27-year-old Dingler also looks to be part of Detroit's long-term plans.
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Tigers' Eduardo Valencia: Sitting after three straight starts
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Valencia is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the White Sox.
Valencia started the last three games -- all against left-handed pitchers -- and went 5-for-11 with two home runs, a double and four RBI, but he'll head to the bench Sunday while the White Sox send righty Sean Burke to the hill. The Tigers haven't yet cleared the way for Valencia to receive a full run of at-bats against right-handed pitching, but with a 1.291 OPS through his first 54 plate appearances in the majors, it wouldn't be a surprise if he soon gets a look in a near-everyday role between catcher and DH.
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Tigers' Eduardo Valencia: Pops another home run Saturday
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Valencia went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Saturday's 4-3 loss to the White Sox.
While he's stuck behind Dillon Dingler on the depth chart, Valencia has managed to carve out some standalone fantasy value with his bat. The 26-year-old rookie has gone deep twice in his last three games and has six home runs overall through 18 contests to go along with a robust 1.291 OPS. Dingler has been excellent in his own right, so Valencia is highly unlikely to surpass him as Detroit's top catcher anytime soon. The Tigers could find more opportunities to get both sluggers into the lineup by using one as the DH, however.
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Tigers' Eduardo Valencia: Drives in four
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Valencia went 2-for-5 with two doubles, four RBI and one run scored in Sunday's 11-0 win over the Athletics.
Valencia has gone 9-for-19 with five extra-base hits and eight RBI over five contests since his recall from Triple-A Toledo on Monday. The catcher isn't guaranteed to get a ton of playing time behind Dillon Dingler, but Valencia is at least making a good case for himself. Over a couple of stints in the majors this season, the 26-year-old is batting .452 (14-for-31) with four home runs, three doubles, 11 RBI and nine runs scored across 11 games.
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Tigers' Eduardo Valencia: Sent back to Triple-A
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The Tigers optioned Valencia to Triple-A Toledo following Sunday's game against the Orioles.
Valencia was recalled from Triple-A shortly before the All-Star break to provide catching depth behind Dillon Dingler, but the former will head back to Toledo after Gleyber Torres (oblique) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list. Valencia did well at the plate during his short major-league stint, going 5-for-12 (.417) with two home runs, three RBI and three runs scored.
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Tigers' Eduardo Valencia: Cleared for all baseball activities
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Valencia (quadriceps) has been cleared for all baseball activities Friday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
Valencia has been dealing with a strained left quad but appears ready to play in Grapefruit League games. The 26-year-old backstop split the 2025 campaign between Double-A and Triple-A and slashed .311/.382/.559 with 24 home runs, 95 RBI and 64 runs scored across 433 plate appearances.
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Tigers' Eduardo Valencia: Working way through running program
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Valencia (quadriceps) is still completing a running progression but is otherwise taking part in all baseball activities, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Valencia is working his way back from a left quad strain and doesn't look like he'll be fully cleared by the time Grapefruit League play gets underway this week. The 26-year-old backstop was added to the Tigers' 40-man roster over the winter, but he'll likely be optioned to Triple-A Toledo before the end of camp.
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Tigers' Eduardo Valencia: Shielded from Rule 5 Draft
Rotowire
The Tigers selected Valencia's contract from Triple-A Toledo on Tuesday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Valencia spent time with Double-A Erie and Triple-A Toledo in 2025, posting a .311/.382/.559 slash line with 24 homers, 95 RBI and 64 runs scored between the two affiliates. His addition to the 40-man roster will prevent another team from scooping him up in the Rule 5, and he could compete for a spot on the big-league roster in 2026 if his bat remains hot in spring training.
