Detroit Tigers DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Detroit Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter (hamstring) is back in the team's starting lineup on Tuesday for Game 2 of their series against the visiting San Diego Padres at Comerica Park. Carpenter is serving as the designated hitter and is batting leadoff against Padres right-hander Nick Pivetta. The 27-year-old Carpenter was pulled from Sunday's game with right-hamstring soreness and was also held out of Monday's win over the Padres, but he's back in there now, and fantasy managers should return him to their starting lineups. He has never faced Pivetta in his career, but he's been producing regularly for his fantasy managers in the early portion of the 2025 season, slashing .315/.338/.562 with an .899 OPS, five home runs, 11 RBI and 11 runs scored in 73 at-bats. Carpenter will bring a modest five-game hitting streak into Tuesday's contest against SD.

Detroit Tigers right-hander Will Vest tossed a scoreless ninth inning to wrap up a 6-4 win over the San Diego Padres on Monday. Vest did not allow any baserunners while picking up one strikeout on two swinging strikes to earn the save. The veteran reliever now has a 1-0 record, 0.93 ERA, 0.62 WHIP, two saves, and 10 strikeouts over 9 2/3 innings of work. Vest has been one of the top relievers in baseball in the early going, but he remains No. 2 in line for save chances behind veteran Tommy Kahnle. That being said, his low ERA and WHIP still give him some fantasy value in deeper leagues that count holds.

Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Baez is making his first-ever start in center field and is batting seventh for Monday's series opener against the visiting San Diego Padres and right-hander Randy Vasquez at Comerica Park. Baez gives the Tigers an extra option in the outfield with Parker Meadows (shoulder) on the injured list, and outfielder Kerry Carpenter (hamstring) is also out of Monday's lineup. However, there's no guarantee that the Puerto Rican product will gain outfield eligibility for fantasy managers. Given how poorly he's played since signing with the Tigers in 2022, Baez's .268/.305/.321 slash line through his first 17 games in 2025 is actually an improvement. But the 32-year-old veteran still has only a .627 OPS, no home runs, three doubles, four RBI and 14 strikeouts in 59 plate appearances as a utility man for Detroit in 2025. The two-time All-Star is no longer an everyday player.

With the Detroit Tigers currently using a six-man starting rotation during a busy stretch of their schedule, right-hander Keider Montero will make his second start of the season for Monday's series opener against the San Diego Padres at Comerica Park. He will be on a standard four days of rest after making his season debut last Wednesday against the Milwaukee Brewers, when he allowed five earned runs on eight hits (three homers) while walking one and striking out eight in five innings in a loss. Montero will be facing an even weaker Padres lineup with first baseman Luis Arraez (concussion) heading to the injured list, but he'll still be a shaky DFS streamer after his subpar performance last week. The 24-year-old's command location will continue to be a primary focus after he struggled with both last Wednesday. It's a good bet that Montero will head back to Triple-A Toledo after Monday's outing.

The Detroit Tigers announced on Monday that they have recalled infield prospect Jace Jung from Triple-A Toledo and optioned infielder/outfielder Ryan Kreidler to Toledo in a corresponding move. Jung is starting at third base and is batting sixth on Monday against the visiting San Diego Padres and right-hander Randy Vasquez at Comerica Park. At least with right-handers on the mound, the 24-year-old Jung figures to play regularly for the Tigers at third base after slashing .239/.409/.463 with three home runs in 19 games for Toledo before his call-up. Jung, the younger brother of Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung, made his big-league debut in 2024 and hit .241 (19-for-79) with five doubles, no homers, three RBI and 14 runs in 34 games played. He will need to lower his strikeout rate (30.9%) from a year ago, but Jung is worth a look in deep-mixed leagues for his power.