Jake

Rogers

Rogers is one of the better defensive backstops in baseball, and the 30-year-old will remain the backup catch behind Dillon Dingler for the 2026 campaign.

Rogers finally broke through and got the Tigers on the board with a 407-foot (101.2 mph EV) three-run shot off of Mitch Keller that pulled his club to within two runs at 5-3 in the fifth inning. That would be as close as they would get. The 30-year-old backstop finished the night 1-for-3 and is now hitting .167/.282/.306 with two homers and 11 RBI on the season.

Rogers contributed 21 homers in 2023 and 10 last year, but he has just 68 plate appearances this season after missing time with a strained oblique and taking a backseat to Dillon Dingler since returning. He’s batting .175/.294/.298.

Those worried that Jake Rogers’ return would hurt Dingler’s value have to be relieved about how things have played out. Rogers did start his first game back from the IL, but Dingler has now started five of the last six games. He’s also working on an eight-game hitting streak that’s seen him go 12-for-30.

Rogers returns to Detroit’s lineup for Tuesday’s showdown against the Cardinals following a six-week absence recovering from a left oblique strain. His return will cut into the playing time for hot-hitting youngster Dillon Dingler.

Rogers has missed five weeks with a strained oblique. He’ll replace Tomás Nido on the Tigers roster this weekend or early next week, but he probably will receive less playing time than Dillon Dingler, especially initially.

Rogers is going to continue to complete his rehab process in Detroit after he joined the team on a road trip this week. If his oblique stands up to the batting practice, then he should begin a rehab assignment in the coming weeks.

Rogers was hurt while taking batting practice prior to Tuesday’s game. Dillon Dingler and Tomás Nido are set to fill in for him in the coming weeks.

The Tigers don’t want to play down a catcher, so whether he truly needs 10 days or not, Rogers is going to spend some time on the IL. Dillon Dingler, off to a nice 6-for-19 start with six RBI in six games, will serve as the starting catcher in his absence. Tomás Nido was added to the roster as the backup.

With Tarik Skubal on the mound for this one, Rogers was set to start consecutive games for just the second time this season. Dillon Dingler is in there now, and he’ll be catching Skubal for the first time in his career. Interestingly, Dingler is batting seventh, with Javier Báez getting moved down to Rogers’ place in the nine hole.