The Detroit Tigers aren’t abandoning Spencer Torkelson.
Not even close.
Manager A.J. Hinch expressed his belief in the 26-year-old first baseman while explaining a series of lineup decisions, sparked by the current stretch of games against left-handed starters and magnified by the promotion of third baseman Hao-Yu Lee.
“We got to get Tork going,” Hinch said Tuesday, April 21, on MLB Network Radio, before the Tigers’ opener of a three-game home series against the Milwaukee Brewers at Comerica Park. “He has not gotten off to a great start, but it doesn’t mean we’re going to abandon him and it’s not in there. He’s going to get his opportunities.”
In 2026, Torkelson is hitting .179 with 14 walks and 24 strikeouts across 22 games. He is 0-for-12 with one walk and five strikeouts in his past 13 plate appearances, spanning four games.
Torkelson has a career-best 17.1% walk rate and a career-worst 29.3% strikeout rate, all while swinging less than ever before. His 37.3% swing rate and 14.6% first-pitch swing rate – both significantly below MLB average – suggest he needs to be more aggressive.
Right now, it’s a passive approach at the plate.
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The Tigers will continue to lean into roster flexibility.
Lee – a right-handed hitter with a track record of smart swing decisions and hard contact – is expected to start once or twice per series, specifically against left-handers. The 23-year-old started three of four games in the Tigers’ most recent series against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park: twice against left-handers and once against a right-hander.
He creates a ripple effect across the lineup.
With Lee in the mix, Kevin McGonigle shifts to shortstop and Javier Báez moves to center field. As for Colt Keith? The door opens for him to receive more playing time as the designated hitter and at first base, without as many reps at third base available.
That’s exactly what happened in Monday’s 8-6 loss.
The Tigers left Torkelson on the bench against Red Sox right-hander Sonny Gray, with Lee at third base. Instead of Torkelson, Keith started at first base for the more favorable matchup as a left-handed hitter.
Torkelson has performed better against lefties in his MLB career (a .237 batting average with an .801 OPS in 1,634 plate appearances) and Keith has performed better against righties (a .262 batting average with a .734 OPS in 957 plate appearances).
The lineup for Monday’s game reflected a scheduled off day for Torkelson (rather than a benching for performance reasons) – until the ninth inning, when the Tigers brought Torkelson off the bench to pinch-hit for Keith against left-handed reliever Aroldis Chapman.
Torkelson battled for eight pitches, but struck out swinging.
“We have a shared mentality on this team where we’re going to use all 13 position players,” Hinch said. “We don’t feel undermanned, no matter who we put anywhere. That, to me, is going to be super key to continue keeping these guys fresh and giving them opportunities.”
That could impact Torkelson’s playing time in the short term, as it did in Monday’s game.
But the Tigers still believe in him in the long term.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: A.J. Hinch: Tigers won’t ‘abandon’ Spencer Torkelson during slow start
Reporting by Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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