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Detroit • #39 • 3B

Zach McKinstry

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Schedule

Preseason
@
PIT
Fri, Mar 14
T 8-8
@
PHI
Sat, Mar 15
T 2-2
vs
BAL
Sun, Mar 16
L 7-1
vs
PIT
Mon, Mar 17
W 9-6
@
MIN
Tue, Mar 18
W 6-5
@
BOS
Wed, Mar 19
L 6-4
@
BAL
Fri, Mar 21
6:05 pm
vs
NYY
Fri, Mar 21
6:05 pm
MLBN
vs
ATL
Sat, Mar 22
1:05 pm
Full Schedule
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Player Outlook
Across five MLB seasons, Zach McKinstry has pretty much settled in as a light-hitting utility player known primarily for his defensive abilities. The 29-year-old batted .286 across a small sample of four games as a rookie with the Dodgers back in 2020, but he's batted .231 or worse in each of his seasons since then. He's also never reached double figures in home runs, as he topped out at nine long balls two years ago with Detroit, when he had a career-best 464 at-bats. McKinstry's value from a real-life perspective comes from his versatility. He appeared at every infield position except for first base last season and also saw time in the corner outfield spots. That makes McKinstry a useful MLB bench player, but it doesn't translate to fantasy impact. Heading into 2025, McKinstry should once again be a utility option who has some flashes of offensive ability but no real consistent value in most fantasy leagues.

Fantasy Stats

Year fpts
Fantasy Points
fpts/g
Fantasy Points per Game
r
Runs
hr
Home Runs
rbi
Runs Batted In
bb
Base on Balls (Walk)
sb
Stolen Bases
avg
Batting Average
2025 — — — — — — — .000
2024 178.51.5 32 4 23 24 16 .216
2023 276.51.9 60 9 35 44 16 .231
3y Avg. 1861.7 38 6 24 28 13 .220
Full Career Stats
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Fantasy Performance by Week
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Fantasy News

  • Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Set for strong-side platoon at 3B

    Rotowire
    McKinstry is expected to open the season in the long side of a platoon at third base with Andy Ibanez, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports. The Tigers optioned Jace Jung to Triple-A Toledo on Monday, a transaction which cinches a McKinstry/Ibanez platoon at the hot corner while Matt Vierling (shoulder) is out. McKinstry slashed only .215/.277/.337 with four homers across 118 regular-season contests for the Tigers last season. He did steal 16 bases without being caught, and that, along with his multi-position eligibility, gives McKinstry some utility in very deep leagues.
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  • Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Platoon possibility at short?

    Rotowire
    McKinstry is a candidate to serve in a platoon along with Javier Baez at shortstop to begin the regular season, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports. In this scenario, the left-hand hitting McKinstry would be on the strong side of the platoon, with Baez deployed against southpaws and Trey Sweeney beginning the year at Triple-A Toledo. In the long run, the 24-year-old Sweeney seems likely to seize the job at short, which would relegate McKinstry to more of a utility role like the one he's filled in recent seasons. McKinstry may see a short-term spike in value if he does in fact see regular time at short, though he remains a limited offensive player who probably won't make a huge fantasy splash.
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  • Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Agrees to deal with Detroit

    Rotowire
    The Tigers and McKinstry avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $1.65 million contract Friday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports. McKinstry had been eligible for salary arbitration for the first time. The 29-year-old slashed just .215/.277/.337 with four home runs and 16 stolen bases over 118 games for the Tigers in 2024. He's slated to fill a utility role again next season.
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  • Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Tallies three hits in loss

    Rotowire
    McKinstry went 3-for-4 with a double in Thursday's 3-0 loss to the Angels. McKinstry was the only Detroit player with multiple hits, and the lack of production around him prevented him from accumulating any counting stats. While the utility player can pop on occasion, McKinstry is generally not much of an offensive threat, and his lack of consistent playing time limits his fantasy ceiling.
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  • Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Smacks fourth home run

    Rotowire
    McKinstry went 2-for-5 with a two-run homer in Saturday's 13-4 win against the White Sox. McKinstry went deep off John Brebbia in the ninth inning, his first home run since July 7. McKinstry in the middle of a five-game hitting streak with five RBI and two stolen bases in that stretch. The 29-year-old utility man sees sporadic playing time and carries a paltry .603 OPS through 90 games this season.
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  • Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Picks up steal in win

    Rotowire
    McKinstry went 1-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in Wednesday's 8-2 win over the Cubs. McKinstry notched a steal in his second straight game, but this was his first start in three contests. He's put together a decent August, going 13-for-45 (.289) across 15 games while adding three steals and four RBI. The 29-year-old is at a .199/.259/.320 slash line with 11 steals, three home runs, 19 RBI and 25 runs scored across 251 plate appearances for the year.
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  • Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Provides spark Saturday

    Rotowire
    McKinstry went 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Saturday's 4-0 win over the Yankees. McKinstry batted ninth and provided an unexpected lift, as he came into the contest batting just .188 for the season. The utility man is now a career .215 hitter across 355 MLB games, so he's pretty much settled in as a low-impact offensive player who offers value to his team through his defensive versatility. That keeps McKinstry's fantasy appeal fairly limited.
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  • Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Retreating to bench

    Rotowire
    McKinstry is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Mariners. McKinstry will hit the bench for the series finale after he had started in each of Detroit's last three games while going 3-for-12 with two doubles, one walk and two runs across those contests. Though McKinstry's bat has warmed up in August, the Tigers still seem to view him mostly as a utility player. His playing time is likely to take a hit once Detroit gets Riley Greene (hamstring) back from the injured list, perhaps as soon as this weekend or early next week.
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  • Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Playing time trending up

    Rotowire
    McKinstry will start at shortstop and bat seventh in Sunday's game against the Giants. McKinstry will be filling in for a resting Javier Baez on Sunday, but the 29-year-old McKinstry could begin to gain more traction in a regular role in the outfield after Wenceel Perez (oblique) joined Riley Greene (hamstring) on the injured list Saturday. The utility man is included in the lineup Sunday for the sixth time in seven games and has picked up starts at shortstop, second base, third base and in left field during that stretch. He's getting on base at a .348 clip since the beginning of August.
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  • Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Reaches three times in win

    Rotowire
    McKinstry went 2-for-4 with a stolen base in Wednesday's win over Seattle. McKinstry walked in his first trip to the plate and later added an infield single in the top of the eighth before stealing his ninth base of the campaign. The second baseman reached three times on the night while posting his first multi-hit performance since July 13 against the Dodgers. McKinstry has now hit safely in each of his last four games and is batting .313 (5-for-16) to open the month of August.
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  • Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Getting fifth straight start

    Rotowire
    McKinstry will start at third base and bat sixth in Thursday's game against the Guardians, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports. Even with Javier Baez (back) returning from the injured list Monday, McKinstry has been able to retain a near-everyday role in the Detroit infield, at least against right-handed pitching. McKinstry will draw his fifth consecutive start Thursday, with the 29-year-old having picked up three starts at third base and two at shortstop during that span. Third base could end up being the primary home for McKinstry if he hits well enough to retain a regular spot in the lineup, as Matt Vierling is capable of filling in as an outfielder while Parker Meadows (hamstring) is on the shelf.
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  • Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Delivers big blast Sunday

    Rotowire
    McKinstry went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and three total RBI in Sunday's 5-1 win over the Reds. McKinstry delivered his third home run of the season in a surprisingly strong offensive performance. The utility player is still batting just .186 this season with a .550 OPS, and the two hits Sunday snapped an 0-for-14 streak over his last six games. McKinstry has some value to the Tigers due to his versatility, but that doesn't translate to a ton of fantasy value.
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  • Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Taking seat Saturday

    Rotowire
    McKinstry isn't in the Tigers' lineup for Saturday's game versus Cincinnati. McKinstry has failed to record a base hit in 14 at-bats over his last five contests, and he'll now sit down for the second game in a row Saturday. Ryan Kreidler will start instead at shortstop and bat ninth.
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  • Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Not in Friday's lineup

    Rotowire
    McKinstry isn't in the Tigers' lineup Friday versus the Reds. McKinstry has gone 0-for-14 over his last five games, so he'll get a chance to regroup Friday while Ryan Kreidler starts at shortstop and bats ninth.
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  • Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Absent from starting nine

    Rotowire
    McKinstry is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Twins. McKinstry continues to split shortstop work with Ryan Kreidler in the wake of Javier Baez's (back) injury. McKinstry is 4-for-29 (.138) since June 11.
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  • Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Hitting bench Sunday

    Rotowire
    McKinstry is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels. With southpaw Tyler Anderson on the hill for the Angels, the lefty-hitting McKinstry will duck out of the lineup. Ryan Kreidler will step in for McKinstry at shortstop.
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  • Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Idle against lefty

    Rotowire
    McKinstry is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Phillies. McKinstry will avoid a matchup with Ranger Suarez on Tuesday, yielding to Ryan Kreidler at shortstop. McKinstry had started in each of the Tigers' last two games, going 4-for-7 with a solo homer and two doubles.
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  • Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Goes deep in easy win

    Rotowire
    McKinstry went 2-for-4 with a double and a solo home run in Sunday's 11-2 win over the White Sox. McKinstry was one of four Detroit players to go deep and perhaps the most surprising one, as this was just his second of the season across 51 games. The utility player is batting only .185, and while he's seeing more playing time right now with Javier Baez (back) on the injured list, McKinstry may be better suited to a reserve role due to his limited offensive abilities.
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  • Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Idle Friday

    Rotowire
    McKinstry is not part of the starting lineup for Friday's game against the White Sox. After starting four of the Tigers' last five games at shortstop, McKinstry will yield to Ryan Kreidler on Friday. McKinstry has two hits in his last 23 at-bats and has struck out nine times during that span.
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  • Tigers' Zach McKinstry: Idle against RHP

    Rotowire
    McKinstry is out of the lineup for Friday's game against Houston. McKinstry will give way to the righty-hitting Ryan Kreidler at shortstop Friday even with right-hander Hunter Brown on the mound for the Astros. It'll be Kreidler's third start since Javier Baez (back) got injured, while McKinstry has only had two starts during that stretch.
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