McKinstry is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Angels.
McKinstry will yield to Ryan Kreidler at shortstop for the third time in the last four games. McKinstry is 4-for-29 (.138) with 10 strikeouts since June 12.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Sitting against righty Wednesday
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McKinstry is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Phillies, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
After he was on the bench for Tuesday's 4-1 win while southpaw Ranger Suarez took the hill for the Phillies, the lefty-hitting McKinstry will remain out of the lineup against Philadelphia right-hander Spencer Turnbull in the series finale. The Tigers may not be adhering to a strict platoon at shortstop between McKinstry and the righty-hitting Ryan Kreidler, as McKinstry has now sat in three of Detroit's last five matchups with righties.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Idle against lefty
Rotowire
McKinstry is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Phillies.
McKinstry will avoid a matchup with Ranger Suarez on Tuesday, yielding to Ryan Kreidler at shortstop. McKinstry had started in each of the Tigers' last two games, going 4-for-7 with a solo homer and two doubles.
McKinstry went 2-for-4 with a double and a solo home run in Sunday's 11-2 win over the White Sox.
McKinstry was one of four Detroit players to go deep and perhaps the most surprising one, as this was just his second of the season across 51 games. The utility player is batting only .185, and while he's seeing more playing time right now with Javier Baez (back) on the injured list, McKinstry may be better suited to a reserve role due to his limited offensive abilities.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Sitting again Saturday
Rotowire
McKinstry isn't in the Tigers' lineup for Saturday's game against the White Sox.
McKinstry has gone 0-for-18 with eight strikeouts in his last six contests, and he'll now sit down for the second game in a row Saturday. Ryan Kreidler will pick up another start at shortstop, batting ninth.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Idle Friday
Rotowire
McKinstry is not part of the starting lineup for Friday's game against the White Sox.
After starting four of the Tigers' last five games at shortstop, McKinstry will yield to Ryan Kreidler on Friday. McKinstry has two hits in his last 23 at-bats and has struck out nine times during that span.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Absent from lineup
Rotowire
McKinstry is out of the lineup for Monday's game in Atlanta.
He and Ryan Kreidler have split the starts at shortstop down the middle, with both getting four apiece since Javier Baez (back) went on the injured list. McKinstry has now been on the bench for all three contests versus lefties, as Atlanta is starting southpaw Max Fried on Monday.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Idle against RHP
Rotowire
McKinstry is out of the lineup for Friday's game against Houston.
McKinstry will give way to the righty-hitting Ryan Kreidler at shortstop Friday even with right-hander Hunter Brown on the mound for the Astros. It'll be Kreidler's third start since Javier Baez (back) got injured, while McKinstry has only had two starts during that stretch.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Moves to bench against lefty
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McKinstry is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Nationals.
Since Javier Baez sat out Sunday's 10-2 win over the Brewers before being placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with lumbar spine inflammation, McKinstry and Ryan Kreidler have both picked up a pair of starts at shortstop. Though manager A.J. Hinch suggested that the two shortstops wouldn't work in a strict platoon, both of McKinstry's starts have come against right-handed pitching. Kreidler, meanwhile, will start at shortstop Thursday versus lefty Patrick Corbin, after Kreidler was previously included in the lineup Tuesday, when southpaw Mitchell Parker was on the bump for Washington.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Set for bulk of reps at shortstop
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Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Tuesday that McKinstry and Ryan Kreidler will share shortstop while Javier Baez (back) is on the 15-day injured list, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
Hinch said it won't be a strict platoon between the two players but will be close to that. As the left-handed bat, McKinstry will be in line to receive the bulk of the reps at the position, although Kreidler is starting there Tuesday versus Nationals lefty Mitchell Parker. Hinch noted that Andy Ibanez could see a handful of innings at shortstop, as well.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Starting at shortstop Sunday
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McKinstry is starting at shortstop and batting seventh in Sunday's game against the Brewers.
Javier Baez started the first two games of the series at shortstop, but he'll hit the bench Sunday and give way to McKinstry. Baez is struggling mightily this season with a .183/.209/.247 slash line, so McKinstry could earn more playing time moving forward, though the latter profiles more as a utility player than an everyday starter.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Big effort in win
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McKinstry went 2-for-4 with a triple and a two-run home run in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Rangers.
McKinstry launched his first home run of the season in the second inning, then followed with his second triple of the year in the fourth. While Javier Baez is still the team's primary option at shortstop, McKinstry has managed to carve out a sizeable role amid Baez's struggles at the plate. McKinstry is probably best suited as a utility player, however, so he likely will continue to move around the field rather than replace Baez altogether.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Sitting after two straight starts
Rotowire
McKinstry is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Red Sox.
McKinstry picked up starts at shortstop and second base Friday and Saturday, respectively, going 1-for-6 with a double. Though both Colt Keith (.594 OPS) and Javier Baez (.481 OPS) have turned in poor numbers as the Tigers' regular starters in the middle infield this season, McKinstry (.499 OPS in 91 plate appearances) hasn't done much to make a case for steadier playing time.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Reaches twice in Sunday's loss
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McKinstry went 1-for-3 with a walk in Sunday's 7-1 loss to the Athletics and is now batting .313 across seven appearances this season.
McKinstry isn't known as an offensive threat, but he's off to a strong start in his utility role. He started at shortstop Sunday with regular Javier Baez, who is batting just .154 so far, getting the day off. Baez will likely stick as the primary starter, though McKinstry could start to earn more playing time if he continues to reach base at a solid clip.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Could see more time at third
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With Gio Urshela not locked into the starting third base job yet, McKinstry may have a path to more regular playing time at the hot corner, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Petzold went on to note that McKinstry is still likely best suited for a utility role off the bench, but the uncertainty at third base could work in his favor. For now, Urshela along with Matt Vierling seem like the top options at the hot corner, with McKinstry available there and elsewhere across the diamond. The 28-year-old offers nice versatility, though he's never produced much offensively at the MLB level.
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Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Likely set for bench role
Rotowire
McKinstry will likely serve in a utility role for the Tigers this season with Colt Keith the presumptive starter at second base, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.
The Tigers have cycled through a handful of options at the keystone the past few seasons, but the 22-year-old Keith is seen as a potential long-term solution, and it appears that the team is ready to give him a shot. McKinstry appeared in 148 games and recorded 464 at-bats for Detroit last season, though he's likely better suited for a more limited role. Expect him to provide versatility but little offense as a utility player in 2024, which limits his fantasy upside.
McKinstry went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's loss to the Guardians.
McKinstry's second-inning home run gave him nine this season. His previous career high was seven, which he recorded in 2021, and the utility player came into the year with only 12 career MLB home runs across three seasons. Heading into 2024, McKinstry figures to retain a versatile role where he plays multiple positions, though his fantasy appeal is limited due to his lack of offensive upside.
