ZACH MCKINSTRY NEWS

Set for strong-side platoon at 3B McKinstry is likely to open the season in the long side of a platoon at third base with Andy Ibanez, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Impact Petzold's projection came before the Tigers optioned Jace Jung to Triple-A Toledo, a transaction which essentially cinches a McKinstry/Ibanez platoon at the hot corner while Matt Vierling (shoulder) is out. McKinstry slashed only .215/.277/.337 with four homers across 118 regular-season contests for the Tigers last season. He did steal 16 bases without being caught, and that, along with his multi-position eligibility, gives McKinstry some utility in very deep leagues.

6 DAYS AGO • ROTOWIRE

Platoon possibility at short? McKinstry is a candidate to serve in a platoon along with Javier Baez at shortstop to begin the regular season, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Impact In this scenario, the left-hand hitting McKinstry would be on the strong side of the platoon, with Baez deployed against southpaws and Trey Sweeney beginning the year at Triple-A Toledo. In the long run, the 24-year-old Sweeney seems likely to seize the job at short, which would relegate McKinstry to more of a utility role like the one he's filled in recent seasons. McKinstry may see a short-term spike in value if he does in fact see regular time at short, though he remains a limited offensive player who probably won't make a huge fantasy splash.

MARCH 4 • ROTOWIRE

Agrees to deal with Detroit The Tigers and McKinstry avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $1.65 million contract Friday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Impact McKinstry had been eligible for salary arbitration for the first time. The 29-year-old slashed just .215/.277/.337 with four home runs and 16 stolen bases over 118 games for the Tigers in 2024. He's slated to fill a utility role again next season.

NOVEMBER 22, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

MLB Salary Arbitration Eligibles List

MLB Salary Arbitration Eligibles List

NOVEMBER 18, 2024 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

David Fry's home run, squeeze bunt lead Guardians over Tigers, 5-4, forcing ALDS Game 5

Pinch-hitter David Fry had a go-ahead, two-run homer in the seventh inning, then bunted home an insurance run in the ninth to help the Guard...

OCTOBER 11, 2024

Horrible start dooms Tigers in 7-0 loss to Guardians in Game 1 of ALDS

Five batters in, the Tigers were down 5-0 and finished

OCTOBER 5, 2024 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Gunnar Henderson homers as the Baltimore Orioles top the Detroit Tigers 4-2

Gunnar Henderson homered and doubled to help the Baltimore Orioles beat the Detroit Tigers 4-2

SEPTEMBER 15, 2024 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Jacob Stallings' RBI double in the ninth helps Rockies beat Tigers 4-2

Jacob Stallings’ RBI double in the ninth inning helped the Colorado Rockies beat the Detroit Tigers 4-2

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Sweeney leads Tigers against the Rockies following 4-hit performance

The Detroit Tigers take on the Colorado Rockies after Trey Sweeney had four hits against the Athletics on Sunday

SEPTEMBER 10, 2024 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Athletics and Tigers meet to determine series winner

Both the Oakland Athletics and the Detroit Tigers are looking for a series win with a victory on Sunday

SEPTEMBER 8, 2024 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Padres face the Tigers with 1-0 series lead

The San Diego Padres face the Detroit Tigers, leading the series 1-0

SEPTEMBER 4, 2024 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Tigers News: Zach McKinstry Shines as the Unsung Hero During a Stellar August The Detroit Tigers have named Zach McKinstry their player of the month, highlighting his impressive August performance.

SEPTEMBER 3, 2024 • STAR-TELEGRAM.COM

Tallies three hits in loss McKinstry went 3-for-4 with a double in Thursday's 3-0 loss to the Angels.

Impact McKinstry was the only Detroit played with multiple hits, and the lack of production around him prevented him from accumulating any counting stats. While the utility player can pop on occasion, McKinstry is still generally not much of an offensive threat, and his lack of consistent playing time limits his fantasy ceiling moving forward.

AUGUST 30, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Skubal earns 15th win as the Tigers hand the White Sox their 99th loss with a 13-4 victory

Tarik Skubal earned his major league-leading 15th win, and the Detroit Tigers handed the Chicago White Sox their 99th loss with a 13-4 victory

AUGUST 25, 2024 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Smacks fourth home run McKinstry went 2-for-5 with a two-run homer in Saturday's 13-4 win against the White Sox.

Impact McKinstry went deep off John Brebbia in the ninth inning, his first home run since July seventh. McKinstry in the middle of a five-game hitting streak with five RBI and two stolen bases in that stretch. The 29-year-old utility man doesn't get enough playing time to be fantasy relevant, and he carries a paltry .603 OPS through 90 games this season.

AUGUST 25, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Picks up steal in win McKinstry went 1-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in Wednesday's 8-2 win over the Cubs.

Impact McKinstry notched a steal in his second straight game, but this was his first start in three contests. He's put together a decent August, going 13-for-45 (.289) across 15 games while adding three steals and four RBI. The 29-year-old is at a .199/.259/.320 slash line with 11 steals, three home runs, 19 RBI and 25 runs scored across 251 plate appearances for the year.

AUGUST 22, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Meadows wins it in 10th as Tigers edge Yankees 3-2 in MLB Little League Classic

Parker Meadows set off fireworks with a 10th-inning single that brought hundreds of Little Leaguers to their feet and scored Zach McKinstry on a headfirst slide to give the Detroit...

AUGUST 19, 2024 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Provides spark Saturday McKinstry went 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Saturday's 4-0 win over the Yankees.

Impact McKinstry batted ninth and provided an unexpected lift, as he came into the contest batting just .188 for the season. The utility man is now a career .215 hitter across 355 MLB games, so he's pretty much settled in as a low-impact offensive player who offers value to his team through his defensive versatility. That keeps McKinstry's fantasy appeal fairly limited.

AUGUST 18, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Retreating to bench McKinstry is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Mariners.

Impact McKinstry will hit the bench for the series finale after he had started in each of Detroit's last three games while going 3-for-12 with two doubles, one walk and two runs across those contests. Though McKinstry's bat has warmed up in August, the Tigers still seem to view him mostly as a utility player. His playing time is likely to take a hit once Detroit gets Riley Greene (hamstring) back from the injured list, perhaps as soon as this weekend or early next week.

AUGUST 15, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Playing time trending up McKinstry will start at shortstop and bat seventh in Sunday's game against the Giants.

Impact McKinstry will be filling in for a resting Javier Baez on Sunday, but the 29-year-old could begin to gain more traction in a regular role in the outfield after Wenceel Perez (oblique) joined Riley Greene (hamstring) on the injured list Saturday. The utility man is included in the lineup Sunday for the sixth time in seven games and has picked up starts at shortstop, second base, third base and in left field during that stretch. He's getting on base at a .348 clip since the beginning of August.

AUGUST 11, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Reaches three times in win McKinstry went 2-for-4 with a stolen base in Wednesday's win over Seattle.

Impact McKinstry walked in his first trip to the plate and later added an infield single in the top of the eighth before stealing his ninth base of the campaign. The second baseman reached three times on the night while posting his first multi-hit performance since July 13 against the Dodgers. McKinstry has now hit safely in each of his last four games and is batting .313 (5-for-16) to open the month of August.

AUGUST 8, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Wenceel Pérez's two-out single in the 11th lifts Tigers to improbable 6-5 win over Royals

Wenceel Pérez singled with two out in the 11th inning and the Detroit Tigers rallied three times to beat the Kansas City Royals 6-5 on Saturday night

AUGUST 4, 2024 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Triples, steals base Sunday McKinstry went 1-for-4 with a triple, an RBI and a run scored in Sunday's 4-3 win over the Dodgers.

Impact McKinstry showed off his speed in the last game of the first half, as he recorded his third triple of the season and seventh stolen base. The utility player got the start at shortstop with Javier Baez (back) held out, though Baez is not expected to need a stint on the injured list. McKinstry will slot into a reserve role after the All-Star break if Baez is healthy, which limits the former's fantasy upside.

JULY 14, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Tigers take advantage of Ramírez errors in 9th inning, beating Dodgers 4-3 in 2nd straight comeback

Yohan Ramírez had two consecutive errors in the ninth inning, paving the way for the Detroit Tigers to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-3 on Sunday for their second straight comeback...

JULY 14, 2024 • ASSOCIATED PRESS