Kevin McGonigle crushes 16th home run vs. Twins

McGonigle connected for his first round-tripper since August 23, launching a no-doubter to right field off Twins ace Joe Ryan in the opening frame. The 22-year-old remains the heavy favorite to take home the American League Rookie of the Year Award with less than three weeks remaining on the calendar.

Lee appears to have checked out fine after suffering a bruised left shin when he collided with Guardians catcher Austin Hedges while trying to score on a rundown during the nightcap of Friday’s doubleheader. The versatile 23-year-old has been on a tear at the dish since returning to the majors in mid-June, batting .295 with six homers and 28 RBI over 64 games during that span. He’s at third base with Kevin McGonigle getting a breather after playing in both games of Friday’s twin bill.

McGonigle has found himself at the hot corner and leading off in back-to-back games since Riley Greene returned from the injured list earlier this week. He mostly hit third or cleanup while Greene was on the shelf. It’ll be rookie John Peck getting some run at shortstop with veteran Gleyber Torres, who had been leading off in recent weeks, seeing his playing time slashed during the final month. The 22-year-old hitting machine is the presumptive favorite for the American League’s Rookie of the Year Award, hitting .274/.374/.414 with 85 runs scored, 14 homers, 58 RBI and 12 steals in 601 plate appearances. His ability to control the strike zone and generate consistent hard contact is going to make McGonigle a fantasy force for years to come.

Peck receives his first shot in the majors after hitting .288/.339/.502 with 11 homers and 22 steals in 298 plate appearances in the upper minors this season. Tigers skipper A.J. Hinch told reporters Peck will get some time at shortstop with Kevin McGonigle moving over to third base more often in the coming weeks. It appears that Gleyber Torres and Javier Báez could lose playing time down the home stretch with Detroit fading from playoff contention. Peck is unlikely to offer much fantasy appeal outside of extremely deep mixed leagues and AL-only formats.

McGonigle’s 371-foot fly off Jack Dreyer would have been an out under normal circumstances, but the Dodgers’ outfield was playing in with the winning run on third. McGonigle deserved that after his bid for a go-ahead grand slam in the eighth inning Friday was denied by Comerica; that flyout, hit 403 feet off Alex Vesia, would have been a homer in 20 ballparks, according to Statcast. McGonigle also walked twice today, but the hit to end the contest was his first in four games.

McGonigle’s homer was a two-run shot in the fifth that tied the game at five. It’s the continuation of an incredibly valuable rookie campaign for fantasy managers, as he’s up to 14 homers, 12 steals, 83 runs, 56 RBI, and a .283 batting average. He’s also doing it with eligibility at shortstop and third base, which he’ll carry into 2027. McGonigle just recently turned 22 years old and entered Sunday with the fifth-highest fWAR total among all position players.

McGonigle smacked a two-out RBI double off of John Schrieber in the seventh inning that briefly pulled the Tigers to within a run at 3-2, but that would be as close as they would get. With his two-hit attack, the 22-year-old phenom is now slashing .284/.386/.424 with 13 homers, 53 RBI and 12 stolen bases over 559 plate appearances in his rookie campaign.

McGonigle’s home run was his 13th of the year. He hit a two-run shot off Carmen Mlodzinski in the second inning. McGonigle now has three home runs and 11 RBI in 15 games in August after hitting four home runs with nine RBI in 23 games in July. He’s hitting .282 with an .810 OPS and 50 RBI this season.

It’s the Tigers’ fourth straight game against a left-hander today. McGonigle, still almost assuredly the Tigers’ leadoff man against right-handers, had hit third the previous three games, He’s batting .241/.322/.338 versus lefties, compared to .304/.416/.461 against righties.

McGonigle receives his opportunity in the heart of Detroit’s lineup with cleanup man Riley Greene hitting the injured list with a hamstring strain. The 21-year-old rookie has batted near the top of the lineup for the last four-plus months. He doesn’t offer the prototypical middle-of-the-order skillset, but the brand-new lineup spot should result in a noticeable uptick in run-producing opportunities, which is a positive for his fantasy value.