Kevin McGonigle has two hits, two RBI in win

McGonigle’s homer was a 422-foot blast that cleared the bullpens in right-center field. If there’s been anything to complain about with him from a fantasy perspective this year, it has been the absence of a power ceiling, as Wednesday’s homer was his seventh. Fantasy managers will surely take the rest of what he has provided, and with a player of his prospect pedigree, it’s only a matter of time until his power stroke takes hold. McGonigle entered the day with 3.4 fWAR, leading all rookie hitters.

McGonigle reached on an infield single in the third inning, then swiped second base and rode home on Kerry Carpenter’s two-run blast. He also walked in the fourth inning, stole second and scored on a bloop single off the bat of Dillon Dingler. The 21-year-old continues to impress, slashing .284/.391/.426 with six homers, 28 RBI and 11 stolen bases in his first 348 big league plate appearances.

McGonigle got his in a game where the Tigers struggled to get much going offensively. Frustratingly, his double traveled 411 feet to the deepest part of Comerica Park and would’ve been a home run in most major league stadiums. Alas, he has a .283 batting average and .816 OPS in what’s been a standout rookie season.

McGonigle hit a single in his first at-bat of the game, which was the first at-bat of his career against Yankees starter Gerritt Cole. In the third inning, he had an RBI groundout. Then, in the fourth inning, he had an RBI double. McGonigle is hitting .285 with an .824 OPS and 28 RBI.

McGonigle’s homer came in the ninth off Josh Hader, an opposite-field shot before the perennial All-Star closer struck out the side. The rookie infielder now has six homers and nine steals to go along with a .390 OBP while looking like a seasoned veteran since Opening Day. His performance slipped in May following a strong start, but he has come roaring back in June.

Keith’s departure from Detroit’s lineup comes after an epic three-homer explosion during Monday’s series opener at Daikin Park. The 24-year-old corner infielder is presumably day-to-day for now. Rookie sensation Kevin McGonigle moves over to cover the hot corner with Zach McKinstry taking over at shortstop.

McGonigle’s home run was his fifth. He hit a solo shot off Kai-Wei Teng in the second inning. McGonigle was on base four times in the win and has a .390 OBP. He still has more walks (44) than strikeouts (40). McGonigle, who doesn’t turn 22 until August 18, continues to impress in his rookie campaign.

McGonigle got the Tigers on the board and tied the score at a run apiece in the fourth inning as he clobbered a Luis Castillo slider for a 420-foot (109.4-mph EV) solo shot to right field. He couldn’t come through when the Tigers needed him in the seventh though, as he flew out to shallow left field with the potential tying run on third base with only one out. He quickly atoned for that in the ninth as he smacked a two-out, two-run single into right field off of Mariners’ closer Andrés Muñoz to deliver a walk-off victory. The rookie infielder is now slashing .291/.394/.426 with four homers, 24 RBI and nine stolen bases on the season.

Torres is hitting .538 (7-for-13) with one homer and three RBI in three games since returning from the injured list earlier this week. The 29-year-old second baseman appears poised to continue leading off for Detroit with rookie star Kevin McGonigle hitting second.

McGonigle had a day off on Tuesday but will be right back in the lineup today. The rookie took a bit of a step back in May but still hit .238 with 16 runs scored, seven steals, and an 18/16 K/BB ratio in 27 games.