Colt

Keith

It’d be nice if Keith got to play a full game once in a while, but to go along with his issues against lefties — which are probably exacerbated by him hardly ever getting to face them — he’s just not one of the Tigers’ better defensive infielders. Keith’s homer off J.T. Ginn was his seventh in his last 20 games after he hit zero in his first 62.

It appears to be nothing more than a routine day off for the 26-year-old slugger. Torkelson has had a rough time overall at the dish this season, slashing a disappointing .207/.308/.404 with 12 long balls, 32 RBI and a 104/36 K/BB ratio in 319 plate appearances. Colt Keith will cover first base in his absence and will bat second for the Tigers against Astros’ right-hander Hunter Brown on Sunday afternoon.

With left-hander Sean Newcomb toeing the slab for the White Sox, Keith will have to wait to make his entrance into the ballgame until the Pale Hose go to the bullpen. Zach McKinstry will start at shortstop and bat ninth while Kevin McGonigle slides over to cover the hot corner.

Keith wound up missing just one game due to right wrist soreness following a three-homer explosion during Monday’s series opener. The 24-year-old underwent precautionary X-rays that didn’t reveal any fractures.

Keith appears poised to return to Detroit’s lineup for Wednesday afternoon’s series finale against Houston after being scratched from Tuesday’s contest with right wrist soreness. The 24-year-old blasted three homers during Monday’s game at Daikin Park and has homered four times in his last four contests.

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.

Keith’s three home runs give him four on the season now. He hit a two-run shot off Kai-Wei Teng in the second inning, another two-run shot off Jayden Murray in the seventh inning and a solo shot off Bryan Abreu in the ninth inning. Keith had zero home runs in the first 62 games of the season, but now has four home runs in the last four games. He joined Kerry Carpenter as the only Tigers to hit three home runs in a game in the last 10 years. Keith is hitting .267 with a .701 OPS as his bat starts to heat up. He’s best used in fantasy formats where his at-bats, which come almost exclusively against right-handed pitching, can be maximized.

After his hot start in April, Keith hit a woeful .217/.286/.261 in May, managing just one extra-base hit over the entire month. We’ve got a faint sign of life here, but Keith probably doesn’t belong on mixed league rosters unless we see a more prolonged spike than this.

Torkelson will undoubtedly be in there for the nightcap against left-hander Trevor Rogers and will likely make an appearance off of the bench in the first game. Dillon Dingler will function as the team’s designated hitter while Colt Keith covers first base and bats sixth against Brandon Young and the O’s.

Keith is hitting .295/.336/.357 on the season, but that’s about all we can say. His bat speed is up one mph, but it’s not where he showcased it in the first month of the season. He has a lower barrel rate and hard-hit rate than last season, and has hit no home runs with just six RBI despite hitting mostly third this season. He doesn’t need to be on many fantasy rosters.