DETROIT – The Detroit Tigers have traded a minor league pitcher to the Chicago Cubs for former Central Michigan star Zach McKinstry.
McKinstry, 27, was a 33rd round pick by the Los Angeles Dodgers out of CMU in 2016. He was sent to the Cubs at last year’s trade deadline.
In 121 career MLB games, McKinstry is hitting .206 with a .272 on-base percentage and four home runs. He famously got off to a scorching hot start as a rookie with the Dodgers in 2021.
McKinstry is 3-for-38 with a double and a .327 OPS this spring. He can play anywhere on the infield and both corner outfield spots.
McKinstry played two seasons for the Chippewas in college, posting a .776 OPS in 118 games across 2015 and 2016. He didn’t hit a home run during his CMU career, but posted a .403 on-base percentage thanks to 53 walks (compared to just 63 strikeouts) and 148 hits.
Detroit sent righty Carlos Guzman to the Cubs in the deal. Guzman, 24, has been in the Tigers’ minor league system since 2017 after signing out of Venezuela. He owns a career 3.80 ERA, 1.268 WHIP, and 8.5 strikeouts per nine innings.
