DETROIT – The Detroit Tigers might actually have a really fun lineup within the next few days.
We’ve already seen an injection of life thanks to the return of Kerry Carpenter. The lefty slugger hit two home runs in his first game back from injury and then ripped a game-tying two-run blast in the eighth inning the following night.
Meanwhile, Tigers fans have gotten their first look at top catching prospect Dillon Dingler, who was a second-round pick in 2020. He’s already hit his first home run and a trio of doubles.
Speaking of recent debuts, Justyn-Henry Malloy has shown some positive signs over the past two months. Specifically, we’ve gotten a first-hand look at his power (eight home runs and 14 total extra-base hits) and his eye at the plate (10.7% walk rate).
Parker Meadows is playing extremely well since returning from injury, slashing .324/.342/.568 across nine August games. He’s got 12 hits, five extra-base hits, and three stolen bases.
August has been a bit of a struggle for Colt Keith, but he’s still putting together mostly solid at-bats, and he’s a young part of the Tigers’ core.
That’s already five interesting players, but it sounds like the plot is about to thicken even further.
Top-100 prospect Jace Jung is apparently going to make his MLB debut this week, along with Trey Sweeney, who the Tigers just acquired in the Jack Flaherty trade.
Both prospects are hitting well at Triple-A Toledo and fill positions of weakness for the Tigers: third base and shortstop.
Then, on Thursday, we learned that All-Star outfielder Riley Greene began a rehab assignment, which means he’s close to making his return to Detroit.
The Tigers could soon trot out a lineup that looks something like this:
- Riley Greene, LF
- Colt Keith, 2B
- Kerry Carpenter, RF
- Jace Jung, 3B
- Justyn-Henry Malloy, DH
- Parker Meadows, CF
- Trey Sweeney, SS
- Dillon Dingler, C
- First baseman
It’s not exactly an All-Star team, but at least it’s filled with young players who are relevant to the rebuild.
The Tigers are already out of contention, so we might as well get a glimpse of the future.
