Dillon

Dingler

Dingler was already on the short list of 2026’s best hitters in terms of xwOBA a week ago, and now his actual numbers are catching up. With three homers in six games, he’s hitting .302/.380/.603 for the year. He has as many barrels as strikeouts this year, amassing 12 of each through 73 plate appearances.

Dingler greeted right-hander John Schreiber by crushing a 411-foot (107.5 mph EV) two-run blast that increased the Tigers’ lead to 6-1. He’s off to a terrific start at the plate this season, slashing .283/.367/.566 with four homers and 14 RBI in his first 61 plate appearances. At this rate, he could wind up finishing among the top options at the position for fantasy purposes.

Dingler is off to a strong start, slashing .271/.364/.500 with three home runs and 12 RBI. He also has a 55 percent hard-hit rate with a 92 mph average exit velocity that is up two mph from what he posted last year. It’s a small sample size, but Dingler is firmly on the radar in one-catcher leagues. Jake Rogers will catch and bat ninth.

The Tigers got both of their runs in the eighth, with the first coming after Zach McKinstry doubled and went on to score on a wild pitch. Dingler knocked in Kevin McGonigle after a walk. Dingler, who has been hitting fourth or fifth of late, is at .271/.364/.500 with 12 RBI in 57 plate appearances. He seems like a top-10 fantasy catcher right now.

Dingler opened the season batting seventh for the Tigers, but he’s been placed fifth, fourth and fifth the last three days and deservedly so; Statcast thinks he’s actually been unlucky in hitting .250/.353/.477 so far. He’s a worthy starter in one-catcher leagues while he continues to bat in the middle of the order.

Dingler took Michael McGreevy deep for a 433-foot towering shot over the left-center bullpen. Now hitting .300./364/.650 in the early going with two homers, Dingler feels like a fairly safe bet to finish as a top-10 fantasy catcher in AL-only leagues, and anyone who bought in on him in a two-catcher league has to be thrilled with how the early proceedings are going after his 13-homer debut.

Dingler capped off a four-run uprising in the first inning with an RBI single off of Nick Pivetta. He then broke the game wide open with a 403-foot (106.0 mph EV) two-run blast in the fifth that made it 8-0. The 27-year-old backstop looks poised to build upon a strong 2025 campaign and makes for a solid mid-tier catching option in two-catcher formats.

Don’t worry, tie scores are less than a week away from becoming impossible. Dingler’s homer was the first of the spring, and it came off Tanner Banks in the seventh. The 27-year-old backstop is one of the best defenders behind the plate, but doesn’t do enough offensively to be a starter in most fantasy leagues.

Those two are joined by Steven Kwan in the outfield. Other AL winners include pitcher Max Fried, catcher Dillon Dingler, first baseman Ty France, second baseman Marcus Semien, third baseman Maikel Garcia, shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and utilityman Mauricio Dubón. Semien getting the nod over Andrés Giménez seems like the biggest upset, though Giménez, who won the previous three years, did miss a bunch of time. Dingler over Alejandro Kirk also rates as a modest surprise.

After stunning the Mariners in Game 1 in Seattle on Saturday night, Tigers’ skipper A.J. Hinch didn’t feel the need to make any changes to his lineup behind Tarik Skubal in Game 2. Keith has been utilized as the designated hitter in each of the first two games instead of playing in the infield as they’re trying to be cautious with him while returning from the rib injury. Once again, here’s how they’ll lineup against Mariners’ right-hander Luis Castillo on Sunday: Gleyber Torres (2B), Kerry Carpenter (RF), Riley Greene (LF), Spencer Torkelson (1B), Colt Keith (DH), Dillon Dingler (C), Zach McKinstry (3B), Javier Baez (SS) and Parker Meadows (CF).