Kevin

McGonigle

McGonigle had started each of the team’s previous eight games and 20 of their first 21. He’ll get a well-deserved breather with left-hander Garrett Crochet toeing the slab for the Red Sox. Expect the 21-year-old phenom to still make an appearance off the bench in a key late-game situation if needed. On the season, he’s slashing .312/.411/.481 with one homer, nine RBI, one stolen base and an elite 11/13 K/BB ratio through his first 90 plate appearances in the big leagues.

The Tigers found themselves on the receiving end of a tough loss after they took a scoreless tie into extras on Friday. McGonigle’s single in the first inning was one of just four hits for the Tigers on the night, as Ranger Suarez stifled them for eight innings of shutout ball. McGonigle has now hit safely in three-straight games and has reached base safely in his last seven.

McGonigle follows behind Konnor Griffin and Colt Emerson as high-end prospects who have inked long-term extensions before completing their first month in the big leagues. McGonigle’s deal is the biggest extension signed by a prospect ever, breaking Griffin’s record ($140 million) from last week. The 21-year-old is off to a great start to his MLB career, and will now be a fixture in the middle of the Tigers lineup for years to come.

Keith draws a rare night off with rookie Kevin McGonigle at the hot corner while Javier Báez takes over at shortstop with Matt Vierling in center field to face Royals southpaw Cole Ragans. The 24-year-old has been one of Detroit’s primary offensive catalysts this season, slashing .340/.375/.472 with 10 runs scored, seven doubles and four RBI through 15 games.

He also walked. McGonigle’s homer was a solo shot off Sandy Alcantara in the fifth. It left his bat at 108.8 mph, making it his second hardest-hit ball to date. (He had a 109.5-mph single off Chris Paddack on Friday.) He’s batting .322/.412/.508 through 68 plate appearances, and as the Tigers’ everyday leadoff man, he could maintain a fair amount of fantasy value even if he’s not a big source of homers or stolen bases as a rookie.

It’s the rookie’s first day off of the season, and it’s just a routine off day. Javier Baez will play shortstop and bat seventh with Colt Keith at first base and Gleyber Torres at DH. McGonigle is off to a strong start to his MLB career, hitting .292/.370/.438 with a 7/6 K/BB ratio in 12 games.

McGonigle drove in the first run of the game for the Tigers with an RBI single, and he doubled in a run an inning later. Unfortunately for Detroit this all came after the team fell behind 4-0, but it’s another impressive game for the 21-year-old infielder. It’s hard to not be impressed with a slash of .302/.388/.465, and to say he’s passed the eye test in the process is quite the understatement.

McGonigle gets a look atop Detroit’s lineup with red-hot Colt Keith being moved to the third spot in the order with veteran Gleyber Torres sandwiched in between. The 21-year-old hitting machine has been a revelation in his first taste of the majors, hitting .303/.410/.455 with four extra-base hits and five RBI through nine games. He’s also walked six times while only striking out five times during that span.

Keith finds himself atop Detroit’s lineup for the third time in the last four games after getting a break during Friday’s series opener. The 24-year-old has been a certifiable on-base machine this season, reaching safely in six straight games to boast a robust .417 on-base percentage. It’s an extremely small sample, but Tigers manager A.J. Hinch has been complimentary of his at-bats recently and appears poised to stick with him atop the lineup over Kerry Carpenter, who is hitting .160 (4-for-25) with 13 strikeouts in seven games. Star rookie Kevin McGonigle is back at shortstop and will bat second for the third time in the last four games.

With Colt Keith out of the lineup, it will be McGonigle batting leadoff and playing third base. The 21-year-old is 8-for-22 to start the season with five RBIs. He has also appeared in four games at third base and three games at shortstop, so he may pick up dual eligibility soon in certain formats. That only adds to his value.