NEW YORK — Detroit Tigers shortstop Zach McKinstry was scratched from the starting lineup for the first game of a three-game series against the New York Yankees on Tuesday, Sept. 9.
“He had some upper back soreness that he reported late this afternoon after hitting,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Tuesday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.
Hinch called the move “cautionary” and inserted Trey Sweeney into the starting lineup, slipping him into the No. 9 hole in the batting order against Yankees right-handed pitcher Will Warren. The Tigers won, 12-2.
Bailey Horn leaves team
Tigers pitcher Bailey Horn went on paternity leave and Drew Sommers took his spot on the roster.
Hinch wasn’t sure if the baby arrived on Monday.
“I talked to him yesterday, and they were anticipating that today,” Hinch said. “He’s back home in Waco with his family, and we’re awaiting news.”
Hinch was unsure how long Horn would be gone from the team.
“Obviously we can go a lot of different ways once Bailey comes back,” Hinch said. “I know his intention is to come back as soon as everything’s safe at home. So we’ll wait to hear from him.”
If you can make it here …
The Yankees bring an 80-63 record into this series, two wins fewer than the Tigers (82-62).
After going 12-13 in July, the Yankees have turned it around, going 20-14 since. What has changed?
“They’re hitting the ball out of the ballpark pretty regularly,” Hinch said. “They are a team full of power-hitters who continue to put pressure on you. Obviously, it starts with (Aaron) Judge in the middle of the order, but it goes beyond him with the way a lot of time they stack their left-handed hitters. You’ve got to deal with the pull side, ball in the air a lot. I think when you look at this team, when they’re playing well across the way, they’re doing a little bit of everything.
“So we’ve got to control a lot of different guys throughout this order, not just the middle of this order, not just the guy at the top.”
Hinch also said the Yankees’ starting pitching has “stabilized” and their bullpen has options.
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Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him @seideljeff. To read his recent columns, go to freep.com/sports/jeff-seidel.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers scratch Zach McKinstry from lineup vs Yankees due to injury
Reporting by Jeff Seidel, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
