Dillon Dingler not in Tigers’ lineup on Sunday

The Tigers could have DH’d either Greene or Dingler, but it’s Hao-Yu Lee in that spot after he played second base in the first game today. Greene just came off the IL on Tuesday, so two games in a day probably isn’t appropriate right now. Dingler is struggling mightily at the plate, so he’s DH’d just once in the last few weeks.

Valencia gets a look behind the plate for Saturday afternoon’s matinee in the Motor City with Dillon Dingler getting a break from the field at DH. The 26-year-old rookie backstop has cooled off in recent weeks, but he’s still hitting .333 (24-for-72) with six homers and 17 RBI in 25 games since early July.

It’s no secret that Dingler’s hot bat has cooled off in recent weeks. He got a base hit in Saturday’s loss to the Royals to break an 0-for-10 streak and then received the day off on Sunday. Back in the lineup Monday, Dingler had another single. The Rays and the Dodgers aren’t great matchups for Tigers hitters this week, but Dingler is due to break out of his slump and has at least shown some signs that his bat might be waking up in his last two games.

Valencia has been a sneaky impactful fantasy contributor this season, hitting .389 (21-for-54) with six homers and 17 RBI in 19 games. He’s not going to deliver a ton of volume with All-Star backstop Dillon Dingler firmly entrenched as Detroit’s starting catcher, but he’s worthy of a roster spot in most fantasy leagues, especially two-catcher formats.

Valencia put the Tigers on the board with a single in the first inning to drive in a run. He then led off the fourth inning with a solo homer off Anthony Kay. The home run was his sixth of the season while hitting .404/.426/.865 across just 54 plate appearances, though he’s been mostly limited to a short-side platoon.

Valencia is hitting .381/.381/.952 versus left-handers and .391/.440/.739 against right-handers this year. We dunno what he has to do to get more work — we understand the Tigers can’t exactly bench Dillon Dingler, but there is a DH spot. This was Valencia’s first action since August 9 and he’s appeared in just seven games this month despite the hot bat.

Dingler only had one hit in this contest, but it was a big one. With the Tigers leading 2-0 in the seventh inning, Dingler lined an RBI double to left field that scored Kevin McGonigle. Dingler then came in to score on Eduardo Valencia’s pinch hit two-run double. He’s the fifth player this season to reach 80 RBI and the first catcher. Dingler is hitting .275 with an .870 OPS.

Dingler got the Tigers on the board in the top half of the first inning, clobbering a 2-1 cutter from Bryce Miller for a 401-foot (101.3-mph EV) two-run blast that gave the Tigers a lead they would never relinquish. He also added an RBI single in the third inning and another knock in the seventh. The 27-year-old backstop homered in all three games against the Mariners in Seattle. Dingler is quietly having an MVP-caliber season for the Tigers, slashing .278/.341/.536 with the aforementioned 26 long balls and 78 RBI while playing Gold Glove defense behind the plate.

He’s the first Tigers catcher to hit 25 homers since Mickey Tettleton did it three straight years from 1991-93. Dingler’s homer came after Gleyber Torres was intentionally plunked by Gabe Speier and gave the Tigers their only runs in a 4-2 loss. Dingler has three homers in his last five games and is batting .333/.407/.625 with six homers in the 18 games since the All-Star break.

Valencia was right in the middle of the action as the Tigers plated four runs in the fourth inning and four runs in the eighth. The 26-year-old has done nothing but hit when called upon this season, as he now owns a ridiculous .452/.469/.935 batting line through 32 plate appearances. He deserves more opportunities down the stretch for Detroit.