The severity of the injury remains unknown, but there’s a chance the Detroit Tigers will be without third baseman Colt Keith for a while.
The 24-year-old grabbed the right side of his lower back after the second inning of a 3-1 loss to the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday, Sept. 18, at Comerica Park. He repeated a phrase to manager A.J. Hinch as he entered the dugout.
“I got to come out of the game,” Keith told Hinch.
Keith left the game with low back tightness.
“That, in itself, is pretty alarming,” Hinch said after Thursday’s loss. “It’s very concerning this time of year, especially when he was that passionate about something going on in his back, side, rib region. I don’t know what happened.”
Keith received further medical evaluation away from Comerica Park, so he wasn’t available to discuss the injury after Thursday’s loss to the Guardians.
“We’ll see when he gets back from the imaging,” Hinch said.
The Tigers have nine games in 10 days remaining in the regular season, which means Keith won’t be available until the postseason if he is placed on the 10-day injured list.
After alerting Hinch, Keith walked down the steps and into the tunnel that leads to the dugout with assistant athletic trainer Kelly Rhoades. He was replaced at third base by shortstop Zach McKinstry, with Trey Sweeney entering at shortstop.
In 2025, Keith is hitting .256 with 13 home runs, 48 walks and 102 strikeouts over 137 games. He plays three positions: third base, second base and first base.
It’s his second MLB season.
Before the injury, Keith put the Tigers ahead, 1-0, with an RBI double against right-hander Tanner Bibee in the second inning, then advanced to third base on a groundout. By the end of the inning, he removed himself from the game with low back tightness.
If Keith lands on the injured list, the Tigers could promote one of two players from Triple-A Toledo: Jace Jung (a left-handed hitting third baseman/second baseman) or Justyn-Henry Malloy (a right-handed hitting designated hitter/outfielder).
For the Mud Hens, Jung, 24, is hitting .252 with an .816 OPS in 110 games, while Malloy, 25, is hitting .316 with a .936 OPS in 70 games. Both players have competed for the Tigers in each of the past two seasons, though Malloy has received more opportunities in the 2025 campaign.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Colt Keith injury update: Detroit Tigers’ A.J. Hinch calls back issue ‘very concerning’
Reporting by Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
