Detroit Tigers DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Detroit Tigers second baseman Gleyber Torres and catcher Dillon Dingler will both take a seat for Saturday's contest against the division-rival Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Torres made his return from the injured from a minor oblique strain for Friday's series opener against the Twins and went 2-for-4 with a walk in the 7-6 win. He's hit well in his first three games with the Tigers this year, going 5-for-11 with a homer, an RBI and a stolen base. Colt Keith shifts to second base and is hitting fifth, while Tomas Nido is doing the catching for rookie right-hander Jackson Jobe and is hitting ninth against Twins right-hander Chris Paddack. Spencer Torkelson is at first base and is batting third. With Jake Rogers (oblique) out at least a month, Dingler has become Detroit's primary backstop. Nido is hitless in three career at-bats against Paddack and should be avoided in DFS.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Parker Meadows (arm) is still not throwing but resumed his hitting program on Friday. Meadows continues to work his way back from a nerve issue in his right arm. The 25-year-old was placed on the 60-day injured list in March and is not expected to return to action until May at the earliest. Meadows was shut down from throwing for four weeks in mid-March, and if the timeline stays intact, he could be cleared to throw by next weekend. The former second-round pick slashed .244/.310/.433 with nine home runs, 28 RBI, 39 runs, and nine stolen bases over 82 games in 2024. Fantasy managers should continue to stash Meadows on the injured list, as he's trending in the right direction and will return sometime in May.

Detroit Tigers left-hander Brant Hurter picked up a save in his team's 5-0 win over the New York Yankees on Tuesday. Hurter pitched the final three innings of the game while allowing no runs, walking one, and striking out three. The veteran hurler has now earned two saves this season, to go along with a 3.68 ERA and six strikeouts over 7 1/3 innings of work. Despite the two saves, Hurter is not the Tigers' primary closer, so he does not look like a priority waiver add at the moment.

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal picked up his first win of the season in Tuesday's 5-0 win over the Yankees. The 28-year-old silenced a tough lineup, allowing four hits and no walks with six strikeouts over six innings pitched. This was the first encouraging start for the 2024 American League Cy Young winner, who struggled by his standards in his first two starts. He is now 1-2 with a 3.78 ERA, an 8.64 K/9 rate, and a 2.16 BB/9 rate in three starts and 16 2/3 IP. Skubal should have a good chance to continue to get back on the right track in his next scheduled start, which will be a more favorable matchup at the Brewers.

MLive's Evan Woodbery reports that Detroit Tigers right-hander Alex Lange (lat) recently experienced increased upper-arm inflammation. He received multiple opinions, and it has been recommended that he completes a period of rest before resuming his throwing program. Lange underwent surgery on his right lat last June, which forced him to begin the 2025 regular season on the injured list. This setback will lengthen his recovery time, but hopefully he'll be ready to resume his throwing program after a period of rest. The 29-year-old reliever is currently on the 60-day injured, so the earliest he could return to Detroit's bullpen will be in late May. Lange had an ERA over 4.00 and only two saves in 21 relief appearances last year, but he had a 3.68 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and a career-high 26 saves for the team in 2023, so he could be in line for a high-leverage role by the end of the season if he overcomes his injury.