Detroit Tigers DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Detroit Tigers catching prospect Dillon Dingler continued his hot stretch at the plate on Tuesday by going 3-for-6 with two round-trippers. In his past 10 games, the Ohio State product has held an excellent .366/.469/.780 slash line with five home runs, eight RBI, and a 7:12 BB:K ratio. Dingler has taken a significant step forward at the top level of the minor leagues this season after struggling with a poor .202/.266/.384 line across a 26-game stint last year. This season he sits with an overall .299/.363/.530 line with 15 home runs. Dingler should see time in the majors later this season and could be worth adding in deeper, two-catcher leagues when he gets the call.

Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal, one of the front-runners in the American League Cy Young race, has become the latest name trending in trade rumors, and according to sources, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Baltimore Orioles are interested in him. It's unclear where talks stand, but if the Tigers decide to make Skubal available, other teams are expected to enter the mix. Skubal is 11-3 with an AL-low 2.34 ERA in 123 innings and 23 starts. The 27-year-old southpaw is earning $2.65 million in 2024 and is arbitration-eligible for two more years, leaving him under club control through 2026. The more likely scenario is the Tigers trading right-hander Jack Flaherty, an impending free agent this winter. The Dodgers have a big need for starting pitching in the second half as they prepare for a deep postseason run, so it wouldn't surprise anyone if they paid a hefty price for Skubal or Chicago White Sox lefty Garrett Crochet.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Parker Meadows (hamstring) is completing baseball activities daily and is scheduled to complete a baserunning session on Wednesday. Meadows is recovering from a strained right hamstring that landed him on the 10-day injured list over two weeks ago. The 24-year-old is making some progress, though, and could be cleared to begin a minor-league rehab assignment in the near future. The former second-round selection in 2018 has hit only .131/.247/.286 with a well below-average .533 OPS, three homers, five RBI and four stolen bases in 97 plate appearances and 35 games in 2024 in his second year in the big leagues for Detroit. While he has yet to impress at the big-league level, his power/speed combination is attractive in dynasty/keeper leagues.

Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Baez is getting a day off on Tuesday as the team faces the hosting division-rival Cleveland Guardians. Baez missed the first game out of the All-Star break last Friday due to a minor back injury but then played in the next three games, going 2-for-12 (.167) with six strikeouts and a run scored. Things just keep getting worse for the former two-time All-Star. Baez has gone 4-for-27 (.148) with a double, two walks and seven strikeouts in nine games in the month of July and is slashing a miserable .178/.212/.239 on the year with only one home run, 25 RBI and six stolen bases. If the 31-year-old Puerto Rican infielder doesn't start showing signs of the life at the plate soon, he could start opening on the bench more often in favor of Zach McKinstry, who is starting at the 6 and batting eighth on Tuesday against Guardians right-hander Xzavion Curry.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Riley Greene is out of the team's starting lineup on Tuesday for the contest against the hosting Cleveland Guardians. Matt Vierling is starting in center field and is batting leadoff for Detroit, with Justyn-Henry Mallow in left field and batting third and Wenceel Perez in right field and hitting fifth against Guardians right-hander Xzavion Curry. Greene was a first-time All-Star this year and has already posted a career-high 17 home runs while driving in 51, stealing four bases and scoring 57 runs in 99 games played. It's a little odd to see him sitting against a right-handed pitcher, but perhaps it's because he's gone just 2-for-11 (.182) with an RBI in three games since last week's All-Star break. Vierling is 0-for-1 in his only career at-bat against Curry, while both Malloy and Perez have never faced him.