The Tigers announced that infielder Zach McKinstry has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to April 16th, with left hip/abdominal inflammation. Infielder Hao-Yu Lee has been recalled and is in the starting lineup. He is playing third base and batting eighth and will make his major league debut in the process.
Lee, now 23, was signed out of Taiwan by the Phillies in 2021 as an international amateur. The Tigers acquired him in the 2023 deadline deal which sent right-hander Michael Lorenzen to Philadelphia.
The book on Lee can be summed up in the old phrase “jack of all trades, master of none.” He spent last year at the Triple-A level and took 579 plate appearances. His 11.2% walk rate and 20.9% strikeout rate were both a bit better than average. He hit 14 home runs and slashed .243/.342/.406 for a wRC+ of 106, indicating he was six percent better than league average offensively. He stole 22 bases. He has experience at second base, third base and shortstop but hasn’t played short since 2023.
The Tigers gave him a 40-man roster spot in November, to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. Baseball America ranked him the club’s #6 prospect coming into the season. His 2026 campaign has been off to a slow start. A strained left oblique prevented him from representing his country in the World Baseball Classic. He began the season on the minor league injured list and has since played in nine games on the farm with a .194/.231/.278 line.
Though he appears to be shaking off some rust, it’s possible the Tigers decided to call him up for his right-handed bat. As pointed out by Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, Detroit is facing a bunch of lefties in the next little bit. That includes Ranger Suárez of the Red Sox tonight and then Garrett Crochet on Sunday. Lee had a big .299/.395/.523 slash line against lefties last year, so he could be an asset in a platoon role, combining with lefty Colt Keith to cover the hot corner.
The Tigers have also been utilizing McKinstry as their second baseman when Framber Valdez starts, since Valdez is a ground ball pitcher. Normal second baseman Gleyber Torres, who isn’t especially adept in the field, usually slides into the designated hitter spot on those days. If the Tigers feel Lee is a better defender than Torres, he could also pick up some time there. That would leave third base to Keith and Kevin McGonigle, with McGonigle and Javier Báez also sharing shortstop duties. Lee has a full slate of options, so he could be sent back down to the minors when McKinstry heals up, or if the Tigers enter a less lefty-heavy portion of the schedule.
Photo courtesy of Junfu Han, Imagn Images
Hao-Yu like that!
Hao-Yu doing!?
Hao-Yu gonna crash out like that!
During the game tonight Dontrelle Willis said Hao-Yu had the body type of a fire hydrant lol. He wasn’t lying. Pretty amazing he stole 22 bases last year looking like he does.
Is he a top 100 prospect? He’s not on my radar
I thought it would be Max Anderson, but Lee may already be on the 40 man roster.
Yes, he was already on the 40 man.
Max is on the Toledo 7 day IL.
He is not. He’s the Tigers’ #6 prospect per MLB. He’s projected to hit for average and provide good defense. He was primarily a 2B but he has also played 3B. He came from Philly in the Lorenzen trade.
I saw him in the minors a few times with the Phils. His plate approach was terrific at those levels, and the basic hit tool was very good. The rest, not so much. Not much athleticism; kind of a bad body type for that age; not impressed with the defense even at 2B.
Not sure how he developed since the trade, but unless one has a truly elite major league hit tool, the lack in other areas makes him less intriguing as to his eventual major league success.
Agree. I’ve seen him some in Erie and in spring training with the Tigers. He looks like he can hit…some. But he doesn’t look particularly elegant on the basepaths or in the field. I will watch him. Always like to see new guys get a chance. Prove us wrong!
He was flirting with the bottom of the list a year or two ago. Right now he’s probably somewhere in the Top 150-200 area. Just doesn’t have an elite tool to push him up further on the list, but his decent floor with so many of his skills and his fielding versatility seemed to portend at least a plausible utility role at the Major League level.
If he starts ripping into lefties, there’s a chance he sticks around and takes Jahmai Jones or (less likely) Vierling’s spot. I’d be highly surprised if that happens though. When McKinstry is ready, Lee should be headed back to Toledo.
Being called up because you’re an injury replacement should have an asterisk next to debut. Doesn’t mean as much and I’m sure there is bitterness involved knowing you’re only there because someone got hurt.
why would you think that? huge part of the league gets to the show when another guy goes down. be surprised if even one guy felt as you describe. he’s in the major leagues living the dream.
Guarantee you these guys don’t care how they break through, just that they do. Now the goal is to stay up.
@Wagner
That’s cool. I’m glad they sit there and wish someone gets hurt so they can play. Great teamate
Ridiculous comment
@Sack it’s an excellent observation by a forward thinking man. Be a sheep, sheep
Slider….i don’t know about that. Have you ever heard (and I know I’m showing my age) of some scrub by the name of Lou Gehrig who was the injury replacement for Wally Pipp?
Gehrig was bitter about that for the rest of his career.
I am sure that most minor leaguers would love to make their MLB debuts on Opening Day, and would rather it was not as an injury replacement. But I really doubt that those who debut as injury replacements are “bitter” about it.
They are happy to be in the big leagues. Not happy, but ecstatic.
I was about to say that none of them are hoping that another player has an injury, but that is probably untrue. Everyone knows that injuries are inevitable in the majors, so if you are in the high minors, there is a high probability that you will get called up as an injury replacement.
Padres’ catcher Freddy Fermin is being observed for a possible concussion. He is not on the IL. Just in case, Rodolfo Duran is with the big league club. Duran is 28 years old, has been in the minors since 2015, and has never appeared in the majors. So yeah, I am sure that since Duran is with the Padres now, he is hoping that Fermin goes on the IL, but is ultimately fine.
Ask Lou Gehrig, or Wally Pipp.
The best ability is availability.
Lou Gehrig, started when someone got hurt.
Do you know how many MLB regulars were “injury call ups”? Some guys are average in MiLB and for some reason click at the MLB level and stick. Just have to wait and see
Lee is on the 40 man. A little surprised only because he got hurt and didn’t have a full spring training. Gage Workman has been having a great start to the AAA season and plays 3B (among others) but he’s not on the 40-man roster.
I’ve seen a little of Lee in person at Erie last year and this spring training. He looks like a hitter. Solid swing. Stings the ball sometimes. Seems sure handed in the field, but also doesn’t jump off the page.
Lee also is right handed. Obviously, McKinstry is a lefty and so is Workman. Hinch appears to want another RH’d hitting infield option.
Also 4 games in Fenway this weekend. Not a bad thing to have another RH’d bat to maybe bounce one off the green mahnstah.
None of the 3 on the 40-man were really setting it on fire. Trei Cruz is closer to McKinstry than anyone – very similar skills. But he wasn’t doing anything in Toledo, neither was Jung, who seems to be running in place. Lee probably has the highest upside.
Joining Kai Wei Teng as the Taiwanese players!
I love Taiwan and it’s nice to add another major leagues to the country.
The movie quote is actually “Hey you Guys!!!”
I don’t remember Chris Tucker saying that in Rush Hour.
Not the movie I was referencing actually. It’s a much oldwr movie than Rush Hour.
The Goonies?
Yes
Door about shut on Jace Jung ever being a everyday player for Tigers at the MLB level?
Sure isn’t looking too promising.
I’d say almost for sure as an everyday player. But if we weren’t set to face two lefties this weekend, he may have gotten the call-up over Lee.
I think he’ll be gone at the deadline this year in some kind of trade. Either in a package or maybe a “change of scenery” type of deal
Yep. Agree. Sweeney should be in same boat.
Excited to see what he has to offer. Keep the pipeline rolling!
I will guess that Hao Yu Lee will be waived when Zach McKinstry returns. Craig Workman and Jace Jung are performing much better in MiLB and there’s no room for him.
You’re out of your mind.
Rotating in as hes on the 40 man, and they’ve got to find out what they have to keep the line moving. GO TIGERS !
It was reported today that Detroit had signed 3B Luke Ritter to a minor league contract. The former Met is known to have excellent power in the minor leagues. He wasn’t added to the 40 man roster and Hao Yu Lee was on the 40 man roster. Let’s see what he can do.
Congrats to Lee.
Nice throw from 3B to get Raffaela out.
Is that Gage’s cousin?
Wow. Tigers really need to fire the third base coach. Joey Cora must be blind or maybe high as mf. He has produced a negative -4 war to start the season.
Joey Cora isn’t going anywhere.
YIKES ! When you can’t get the run in from second in extra’s you have some problems. Looking to the farm already. GO TIGERS !
I don’t think that debut could have gone worse. Hopefully, he overcomes it. I felt bad for him at some point.
It wasn’t that bad. He had an error that didnt lead to any runs. He didn’t get any hits, but the Tigers only got four of them. He did have one of the hardest hit balls of the game, but unfortunately he didn’t get anything for it.
I think his failure to pick that short hopped throw from Dingler to get the guy at 3rd in the bottom of the 10th was telling. Lee has not shown to be a + defender. He’s OK. Not elite. That play sealed the game. If he makes the catch the runner would’ve been out. The game would’ve probably gone to the 11th. The Tigers still had Jensen in the pen if they could’ve scored. Oh well.
That’s what I thought, too. I felt like he should have had that. Fortunate, at that time, that the ball didn’t end up in right field. The runner would have scored.
But, eventually, he did score.
He made a brilliant play earlier (possibly in the seventh inning). But yeah, he has the reputation of being an average defensive player.
Why is Torkelson still on this team?