Detroit Tigers DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Detroit Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson went 2-for-4 with two home runs and seven RBI for Triple-A Toledo on Sunday, July 28. After a dreadful start to the season, the former first-overall pick was demoted in early June. Since then, he's slashing .246/.365/.431 with seven doubles, eight homers, 32 RBI and 31:62 BB/SO. Recently, he's been playing rather well. In nine game since the All-Star Break, he's gone 9-for-32 (.281 AVG) with a double, three homers, and 10 RBI. If he keeps this up, he'll almost certainly be recalled to the big-league roster. Overall, Torkelson's potential is undeniable. Last season, he mashed 34 doubles and 31 homers for the Tigers.

Detroit Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler made his big-league debut on Monday and went 1-for-3 with a walk, double and RBI. Manager A.J. Hinch had no issue throwing Dingler straight into the fire and placed him in the No. 6 spot of the batting order. The backstop, who is the No. 11 prospect in the Tigers system per MLB Pipeline hit .308 with 15 doubles, 17 homers and 52 RBI in 263 at-bats for Triple-A Toledo this season. Not only does he hit the ball extremely hard and far, he is a good defender and that will help keep his bat in the lineup. Dingler's promotion came on the heels of Carson Kelly being dealt to the Texas Rangers and with Jake Rogers being the only other option on the roster, the 25-year-old should see a fair amount of playing time. He isn't a must-roster player, but those looking for power or a catcher in deeper leagues would be wise to monitor Dingler.

The Detroit Tigers acquired right-hander Ricky Vanasco from the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday in exchange for cash considerations. Vanasco has been optioned to Triple-A Toledo. The 25-year-old made his major-league debut this year with the Dodgers and allowed three earned runs on three hits while walking none and striking out one in two relief innings. The former 15th-round selection by the Texas Rangers in 2017 got his first big-league call-up after posting a 3.47 ERA, a 1.71 WHIP, five saves, 27 strikeouts and 21 walks in 23 1/3 relief innings on the farm at Triple-A Oklahoma City. In his six seasons in the minors, Vanasco has a 3.46 ERA and 1.39 WHIP with 306 K's and 130 walks in 231 1/3 innings. He'll represent relief depth in the Tigers organization moving forward.

To make room for left-hander Bryan Sammons on the 40-man roster, the Detroit Tigers announced on Monday that they transferred right-hander Casey Mize (hamstring) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list. The 27-year-old won't be able to return to Detroit's starting rotation now until early September. It's a disappointment since he's only dealing with a left-hamstring strain. Fantasy managers that may have been stashing him in deep single-year leagues can probably let go now. The former first overall pick in the 2018 MLB draft out of Auburn made his return to the majors in 2024 for the first time since 2022 and has gone 2-6 with a 4.23 ERA and 1.45 WHIP with 58 strikeouts and 21 walks in 78 2/3 innings over 16 starts. Mize's career to this point has been marred by injuries, but he's also had a below-average 18.2% strikeout rate in 267 1/3 innings for the Tigers.

The Detroit Tigers announced on Monday that they placed infielder Javier Baez on the medical emergency/bereavement list and recalled infielder Ryan Kreidler from Triple-A Toledo in a corresponding move. Baez will be out for three to seven days, but the Tigers believe he'll be back on the short end of that timeline and be ready to go for Thursday's contest against the division-rival Kansas City Royals. With the 31-year-old away from the team on Monday, Kreidler made the start at the 6 against the Cleveland Guardians and went 1-for-2 in the 8-4 loss. Some combination of Kreidler and Zach McKinstry should see starts at short until Baez is back with Detroit. Baez has hit rock bottom in 2024 and is currently slashing .178/.210/.274 with four homers, 32 RBI and six steals in 230 at-bats.