Kevin McGonigle reaches three times in loss

It’s likely just a rest day for he and Max Clark versus a lefty. Both had started 14 straight games since last sitting on Sept. 5. The Tigers have Hao-Yu Lee at third and Javier Báez in center tonight.

The 22-year-old phenom smacked an RBI single in the third inning that trimmed the Tigers’ deficit to four runs at 6-2. He then added a bases-clearing triple in the fifth that made it an 8-5 ballgame. He also drew a walk in the game. With the two-hit attack, McGonigle is now slashing .277/.378/.428 with 17 homers, 69 RBI, 12 stolen bases and a 91/92 K/BB ratio in his 672 plate appearances.

The 22-year-old phenom did his damage off of Gabriel Hughes in the second inning, increasing the Tigers’ early lead to 5-0. He also walked in the fourth inning and scored on an RBI single off the bat of Riley Greene. He’s having an exceptional rookie season, slashing .272/.373/.425 with 17 homers, 65 RBI, 12 stolen bases and an 89/88 K/BB ratio over 649 plate appearances.

McGonigle put Detroit on the scoreboard with an impressive 389-foot blast into the right-field seats off Rockies starter Tanner Gordon in the third inning. It was his third round-tripper in his last five games and his 17th big fly of the year. The 22-year-old hitting machine is the clear favorite to take home the American League Rookie of the Year Award and he’s making some real noise down the home stretch to bolster his candidacy. He’s on pace to finish as a top-five fantasy contributor at both third base and shortstop and will be an early-round selection in drafts next spring.

McGonigle’s home run was his 16th of the season. He hit a two-run shot off Dean Kremer in the fifth inning. McGonigle hit eight home runs in 93 games in the first half of the season, but has found his power stroke in the second half with eight home runs in 47 games. He’s hitting .273 with a .792 OPS and 62 RBI. McGonigle remains in pole position as the favorite for the AL Rookie of the Year Award.

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.