Detroit Tigers DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Detroit Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson had a solid day at the plate again on Thursday, going 1-for-3 with a two-run homer and a walk. Torkelson was the only Tiger to get to Cubs starter Justin Steele, homering off him in the seventh inning to put Detroit on the board. Since returning to the majors on August 17, Torkelson has gone 7-for-17 (.412) with three runs scored, a homer, and two RBI. He has also walked three times and only struck out three times, which was the main issue for the 24-year-old earlier in the season. The talent is there for Tork, who blasted 31 homers last season as a sophomore, and he can certainly be useful down the stretch in fantasy if he heats up. It may be worth grabbing him if first base is a weakness or even if you have a free spot to play with.

Detroit Tigers outfielders Riley Greene and Parker Meadows and rookie shortstop Trey Sweeney are all out of the starting lineup on Thursday at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs with a left-hander on the mound. Andy Ibanez is starting in left field and batting second, Matt Vierling is in center field and hitting leadoff, and Javier Baez is starting at shortstop and batting in the nine-hole against Cubs left-hander Justin Steele. Greene snapped out of little slump since returning from the injured list by going deep and driving in three runs on Wednesday night. The 23-year-old was a first-time All-Star in 2024 but has hit only .208 (20-for-96) with four of his 18 home runs on the year against southpaws. Vierling is hitting .265 (26-for-98) against lefties this year with two of his 14 homers, while Ibanez has hit .351 (33-for-94) with all four of his homers against lefties.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run in Wednesday's 8-2 win over the Cubs. Carpenter hit the injured list for two months with a back injury, but in the seven games since coming off of the IL, the 26-year-old has belted four home runs and driven in eight, although he's also struck out 11 times and has yet to draw a walk in that time. For the season, the Virginia Tech product has a .277-12-37-25-0 line with a 25.7% strikeout rate and a 5.8% walk rate. If he can continue to hit home runs out of the cleanup spot for the Tigers there should be plenty of RBI opportunities down the stretch, and his 17.2% barrel rate suggests that there will indeed be more long balls.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Riley Greene homered with three RBI in Wednesday night's win over the hosting Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Before hitting an RBI single for an insurance run in the ninth inning, Greene took Cubs right-hander Jameson Taillon yard for a two-run home run to right-center field to give the Tigers a 4-0 lead in the second inning. The 23-year-old former No. 5 overall pick is beginning to establish himself as a fantasy stalwart in 2024, slashing .261/.353/.483 with 18 dingers, 54 RBI, 59 runs scored, and four stolen bases across 440 plate appearances.

Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Baez is absent from the starting lineup ahead of Wednesday's game against the Chicago Cubs. The 31-year-old made his return to Wrigley Field on Tuesday. The fans gave Baez a warm welcome, but that didn't help him as he went hitless with four strikeouts. That performance should shock no one considering Baez is hitting .182 with six home runs and 37 RBI in 79 games this season. In his place, Trey Sweeney will cover shortstop and bat eighth versus right-hander Jameson Taillon. Sweeney recently earned a call-up to the big leagues. He has only played in two games, but was hitting .267 with 15 home runs and 71 RBI in 107 games in Triple-A this season. He probably won't be a viable streaming option, but he should give the Tigers lineup more production than Baez.