Colt Keith's Stats, Metrics, Game Logs, Projections & Rankings

Detroit Tigers rookie second baseman Colt Keith will start on the bench in Game 5 of the American League Division Series on Saturday at Progressive Field against the division-rival Cleveland Guardians with a lefty on the mound. Andy Ibanez will make the start at the keystone and will bat cleanup against Guardians left-hander Matthew Boyd. Ibanez, 31, isn't your typical No. 4 hitter. The Cuban infielder hit a mediocre .241/.295/.357 during the regular season with a below-average .652 OPS, five home runs, 32 RBI and 30 runs scored in 244 trips to the plate over 99 games played in his second year in Detroit. He picked up hits in each of the first two playoff games in the Wild-Card Series against the Houston Astros but has gone hitless in four games since. Overall, he's gone 2-for-8 with two doubles, three RBI and a strikeout in six games (eight plate appearances). Ibanez has gone hitless in his two career at-bats against Boyd with one strikeout.

Detroit Tigers rookie second baseman Colt Keith will retreat to the bench for Monday's Game 2 of the American League Division Series against the division-rival Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field with a left-hander on the mound. Andy Ibanez will start at second base for the Tigers and will hit third in the batting order against Guardians left-hander Matthew Boyd. The lefty-hitting Keith has never faced Boyd in his career and will take a seat in this one despite the fact that he hit .305 (25-for-82) with just one of his 13 home runs on the year against southpaws in 2024. Ibanez, meanwhile, hit .292 (40-for-137) against lefties this year, but he lacks enough punch at the plate to make him a very enticing DFS sleeper pick. The 31-year-old Cuban infielder slashed a modest .241/.295/.357 this year with only five home runs, 32 RBI and 30 runs scored in 224 at-bats.

Detroit Tigers rookie second baseman Colt Keith (shoulder) banged up his right shoulder on a dive in the fifth inning of Tuesday's 3-1 extra-inning win over the division-rival Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium and was removed from the game early. Keith will undergo more testing on Wednesday, at which point we'll have a better idea of how much time he may have to miss. Either way, the 23-year-old probably won't be available to play on Wednesday. Before being replaced at the keystone by Zach McKinstry, Keith went 1-for-2 with a walk at the plate. If Keith's injury is serious enough to keep him out to close out the 2024 season, McKinstry and Andy Ibanez would be the primary options for playing time at second in Detroit. Keith came into Tuesday's game hitting .263 (129-for-491) with 13 homers, 58 RBI and seven steals in 138 games in his first year in the majors.