BOSTON – Hao-Yu Lee has arrived.
The Detroit Tigers promoted the right-handed-hitting infielder from Triple-A Toledo on Friday, April 17, before a four-game series against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, replacing injured utility player Zach McKinstry. The 23-year-old will make his MLB debut in Friday’s opener, starting at third base and batting eighth.
Lee ranks as the Tigers’ No. 6 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.
“Being right-handed, and given our schedule, I think six of the next 12 games are going to be against lefties, so he’s likely to be in and around those games,” manager A.J. Hinch said before Friday’s game. “He may or may not start against righties. We can still mix and match with the group that we have. The timing of the schedule and what he can do on the field made our decision to bring him up.”
McKinstry landed on the 10-day injured list with left hip/abdominal inflammation before Friday’s game (after suffering the injury in Wednesday’s 2-1 win against the Kansas City Royals at Comerica Park).
The placement is retroactive to Thursday, so McKinstry will be eligible to return as early as April 26.
McKinstry serves as the primary second baseman when left-hander Framber Valdez pitches, which means Lee could fill that role when Valdez starts Sunday.
The Tigers are hoping for a minimum stay on the injured list.
“He’s pretty beat up, and we don’t want to play short,” Hinch said. “We also hope to get him back quickly. We’re going to get him more evaluation. I think he’s even doing better today than he was yesterday, but he clearly needed a break to heal up.”
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Lee is a right-handed hitter with a track record of success against left-handed pitchers and a reputation for above-average defense at both second base and third base.
He has played in six games for Toledo, hitting .154 with one home run, one walk and seven strikeouts in the 2026 season, posting a .454 OPS across 27 plate appearances.
Before that, he spent three games in Low-A Lakeland during his return from a left oblique strain that he suffered in early March.
“He’s been swinging better than his numbers indicate,” Hinch said. “He is hitting the ball hard, and he’s making really good decisions on what to swing at, which is key in the transition from Triple-A to the big leagues – make sure you swing at the right pitches.”
In 2025, Lee hit .299 with a .919 OPS across 124 plate appearances against left-handers in Triple-A – where he spent all 126 games that season. He also hit .228 with a .702 OPS in 455 plate appearances against right-handed pitchers.
The Tigers will start Lee in both of their upcoming games against lefty starters from the Red Sox: Ranger Suárez on Friday and Garrett Crochet on Sunday. They’re also lined up to face one lefty starter in each of the next two series: Kyle Harrison of the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday and Andrew Abbott of the Cincinnati Reds on April 24.
Lee is guaranteed to play against left-handers, but he is expected to get some opportunities against righties because the Tigers value his defense.
“He can make every play,” Hinch said. “A lot of focus gets centered on the offense because of how hard he hits the ball and how much success he’s had driving the ball, but I like his overall game. His baseball timing is really good. He can turn the double play. He has a great first step at both positions.”
The Tigers acquired Lee from the Philadelphia Phillies for right-hander Michael Lorenzen in August 2023 at the trade deadline. It was the first deadline under president of baseball operations Scott Harris, hired in September 2022.
The Phillies signed Lee out of Taiwan for a $570,000 bonus as part of the 2021 international signing period.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Hao-Yu Lee called up by Tigers for MLB debut as injury replacement
Reporting by Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
