Zach McKinstry to the 10-day IL, INF Hao-Yu Lee to make major league debut
The Tigers’ sixth ranked prospect missed most of the spring with an oblique injury.
Detroit Tigers infielder Hao-Yu Lee bats during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025.
| Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images After getting banged up repeatedly in Thursday’s victory, utilityman Zach McKinstry has been placed on the 10-day injured list with left hip/abdominal inflammation. Infielder Hao-Yu Lee has been recalled from Triple-A Toledo to make his major league debut. He’ll wear number 50, and is batting eighth and playing third base on Friday night in Boston.
The Tigers acquired Lee from the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen back in 2023. Currently ranked sixth on MLB Pipeline’s ranking of Tigers’ prospect, the right-handed hitting infielder has good power and hit 14 home runs while stealing 22 bases last year in his first full season at the Triple-A level. Lee has solid plate discipline and will take his walks and generally keeps his strikeouts under control.
Now 23 years old, Lee was injured this spring with an oblique strain before he got a chance to play for his native Team Chinese Taipei in the World Baseball Classic, and missed most of the rest of spring camp. As a hitter, Lee likes to go the opposite way and tends to spray a good amount of line drives. He’s much better against left-handed pitching, and that might be the majority of his role in McKinstry’s stead.