2026 DETROIT TIGERS REGULAR SEASON THREAD

[Sports_Freak]

1 hour ago, NorthWoods said:

Who cares where he plays?   He's gritty.

If only he was a right handed hitter.

[1984Echoes]

2 hours ago, NorthWoods said:

Who cares where he plays?   He's gritty.

Workman has NEVER had bat-to-ball skills...

IIRC, prior to this season he's been pretty much a .220 hitter... in college and in the minors.

What gives?

[gehringer_2]

1 hour ago, 1984Echoes said:

Workman has NEVER had bat-to-ball skills...

IIRC, prior to this season he's been pretty much a .220 hitter... in college and in the minors.

What gives?

that kind of change at that age is pretty unusual. Among possibilities could be:

• unusually long streak of  BaBIP luck
• He shortened his approach enough to give himself more time and made it work
• He got stronger and his bat speed increased and that's given him more time or he just has more ability to put the bat where he wants it.
• combinaton of 2 & 3
• Combination of 1, 2 & 3. He's gotten somewhat better but not as good as he looks now.

Edited yesterday at 03:50 AM by gehringer_2

[Tiger337]

5 hours ago, 1984Echoes said:

Workman has NEVER had bat-to-ball skills...

IIRC, prior to this season he's been pretty much a .220 hitter... in college and in the minors.

What gives?

SMALL SAMPLE SIZE

[gehringer_2]

55 minutes ago, Tiger337 said:

SMALL SAMPLE SIZE

The big jump in OPS goes back as far as last August but the K rate was still terrible even late last season - so the better K rate this season is only on 80 AB so far. The better production has been over a little more than 200 AB. I suppose Candelario had close to a half season of higher production before falling back, but the recollection is hazy and I'm too lazy to look him up.

The thing with Workman is that IIRC, he was also showing signs of improvement after the Cubs picked him up but he didn't sustain it then, makes you wonder more if he can sustain it now either - or maybe it means he is closer to getting his act together? Time will tell soon enough.

Edited yesterday at 08:14 AM by gehringer_2

[NorthWoods]

All of these explanations ignore that perhaps he's been honed down to his gritty layer and it's all sustainable.

The Tigers end up with a roster chock full of infielders that can play 7 positions, Hinch in 7th heaven.

[NorthWoods]

 

[gehringer_2]

13 minutes ago, NorthWoods said:

 

yeah - but can he pitch?

[NorthWoods]

10 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said:

yeah - but can he pitch?

Yes, and play CF/SS and hit better than McGodigle.

[Graterol]

Who replaces Javy?

1B: Tork

2B: Torres

3B: Lee/Keith

SS: McGonigle

RF: Perez/Workman or Jung

CF: Vierling/Perez

LF: Greene

DH: Jones/Carp

Only real options I see making sense would be Workman or Jung to play RF against righties. Jung is on the 40 and Workman isn’t, so he probably gets the nod. Clark would obviously fit the roster better, but don’t see that happening. Julks to play RF against lefties seems like a waste of roster spot. Mckinstry still a few weeks away.

[casimir]

8 hours ago, Graterol said:

Who replaces Javy?

1B: Tork

2B: Torres

3B: Lee/Keith

SS: McGonigle

RF: Perez/Workman or Jung

CF: Vierling/Perez

LF: Greene

DH: Jones/Carp

Only real options I see making sense would be Workman or Jung to play RF against righties. Jung is on the 40 and Workman isn’t, so he probably gets the nod. Clark would obviously fit the roster better, but don’t see that happening. Julks to play RF against lefties seems like a waste of roster spot. Mckinstry still a few weeks away.

It'll have to be someone that can play SS.  Can't expect McGonigle to play everyday until McKinstry/Baez come back.

[4hzglory]

2 hours ago, casimir said:

It'll have to be someone that can play SS.  Can't expect McGonigle to play everyday until McKinstry/Baez come back.

Which Workman can.  I'd be surprised if it's not him.  

[Shelton]

I think Kevin actually could just play SS everyday. If something happens that prevents that, you can get through the rest of the game with an emergency option (Torres? Lee? Vierling? Wenceel?).

If it is going to be six weeks until a true backup SS option is available, then fine. But in the short term I think you can just ride with Kevin. 

It’s also true that our starting nine is without a CF now. So I think it is definitely an option to consider calling up Clark. Vierling and Wenceel can fake it there, but I’d rather have a fake backup SS than a fake starting CF.

[chasfh]

18 minutes ago, Shelton said:

I think Kevin actually could just play SS everyday. If something happens that prevents that, you can get through the rest of the game with an emergency option (Torres? Lee? Vierling? Wenceel?).

If it is going to be six weeks until a true backup SS option is available, then fine. But in the short term I think you can just ride with Kevin. 

It’s also true that our starting nine is without a CF now. So I think it is definitely an option to consider calling up Clark. Vierling and Wenceel can fake it there, but I’d rather have a fake backup SS than a fake starting CF.

That's what I thought at first but they might be loathe to bring up Max if he's not good and ready, and indications are he is not quite yet.

We've also been working Workman in center for the first time in his career. Not sure how he's doing, but it seems like the next logical step to give him a shot.

[gehringer_2]

1 hour ago, Shelton said:

I think Kevin actually could just play SS everyday.

 

58 minutes ago, chasfh said:

That's what I thought at first ...

It's probably less a matter of whether he could than that Hinch is loath to be without his Swiss Army knife roster.

[Tiger337]

I think Clark is not ready based on what we've been hearing from Harris.  Harris said the same thing about McGonigle over the winter, but this is more recent.  Cruz would be the logical choice if healthy, but he's still out.  It will probably be Workman.  They really need someone who can cover both CF/SS.  If Baez is out for a long time, we might miss him more than we think.  

[Tiger337]

8 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said:

 

It's probably less a matter of whether he could than that Hinch is loath to be without his Swiss Army knife roster.

It's not just Hinch though.  I still think they are sacrificing reliable defense for flexibility by moving players around so much, but it's the way the game is played today.  

[CaliforniaDreaming]

Is there no one stationed at the Columbus airport watching to see who gets on an airplane headed to Atlanta?!

[Shelton]

The boring part of speculating is it could be for naught within the next few hours, so it hardly feels worth it. That said, it’s a low bar.

So, I will say that I’m not sure a hot start by workman so far this year is enough to justify a 40-man spot, and I think Scott Harris is “loathe” to give those up without good reason. We know that Clark is likely to occupy a 40-man spot in the near future anyway, and for a long time to come. If you add workman now, that requires a move. If you add Clark in six weeks, that requires another move. I’m not sure giving a 40-man spot to workman for what might be a short term need is worth it. 
 

As for Clark being “ready,” I’m not going to put too much weight into GM speak. Even if they would prefer waiting, things changed last night. They can always send him back down when other options become available (and/or if he is struggling). He can play CF and bat 9th and we can see what happens. 

[gehringer_2]

22 minutes ago, Shelton said:

The boring part of speculating is it could be for naught within the next few hours, so it hardly feels worth it. That said, it’s a low bar.

So, I will say that I’m not sure a hot start by workman so far this year is enough to justify a 40-man spot, and I think Scott Harris is “loathe” to give those up without good reason. We know that Clark is likely to occupy a 40-man spot in the near future anyway, and for a long time to come. If you add workman now, that requires a move. If you add Clark in six weeks, that requires another move. I’m not sure giving a 40-man spot to workman for what might be a short term need is worth it. 
 

As for Clark being “ready,” I’m not going to put too much weight into GM speak. Even if they would prefer waiting, things changed last night. They can always send him back down when other options become available (and/or if he is struggling). He can play CF and bat 9th and we can see what happens. 

This is all true - from the roster perspective it is the way to go. The question is how risk tolerant are they about not having a backup SS until McK gets back? I suppose Lee can stand there in an emergency but game logs say he hasn't played any short since 2023 and only 7 games then so we might not get much more than him standing there!