SCOTTSDALE, AZ – Kevin McGonigle has made the Detroit Tigers’ Opening Day roster for 2026.
The 21-year-old hasn’t played above Double-A, but he will start Thursday, March 26, at shortstop or third base behind left-hander Tarik Skubal on Opening Day against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park, with the Tigers facing right-hander Nick Pivetta.
The consensus No. 2 prospect in baseball is locked in as one of the top candidates for American League Rookie of the Year, and if he wins the award, the Tigers will receive a top draft pick.
“He continued to demonstrate his ability to handle the moment, and he had a lot of moments during camp where he was tested,” manager A.J. Hinch said before Tuesday’s final game of spring training. “He never looked uncomfortable throughout the spring, even though he will tell you there were some nerve-wracking moments – and he should be nervous.”
On Tuesday morning, Hinch met with McGonigle to inform him about his roster status – only a few hours before Tuesday’s final exhibition game against the Colorado Rockies at Salt River Fields.
The Tigers must submit their 26-man roster to MLB by noon Wednesday, with their Opening Day game set for 4:10 p.m. Thursday.
To put McGonigle on the 26-man roster, the Tigers optioned outfielder Wenceel Pérez to Triple-A Toledo. There still needs to be a corresponding 40-man roster move.
Before Tuesday’s meeting, McGonigle didn’t know if he would make the Opening Day roster.
“He made no assumptions,” Hinch said. “He didn’t know where he stood, other than he was given a ton of opportunity.”
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McGonigle – a left-handed hitter who plays shortstop and third base, along with second base – was selected No. 37 overall out of Monsignor Bonner High School (Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania) in the 2023 MLB Draft.
It didn’t take long for McGonigle to establish himself as the best hitter in the minor leagues.
Now, he gets to take his talents to the big leagues.
“I make a 24-hour commitment on all of this,” Hinch said of the plan for McGonigle’s playing time. “I think it’s important to be open minded to any and all. We have a strong roster, so there are going to be times where guys are off – and that’s a strength. The goal is to be unpredictable.”
Tigers’ Opening Day lineup with Kevin McGonigle
McGonigle will start for the Tigers on Opening Day.
But Hinch hasn’t decided whether he will play shortstop or third base in Thursday’s game against the Padres.
“He will play on the left side of the infield,” Hinch said. “We have worked him there the entire spring, so I don’t think you’ll see him at second base. He’ll stay both at shortstop and third base.”
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Here’s a projected Opening Day lineup for the Tigers, facing a right-handed starting pitcher:
“I need to get to the lineup for Opening Day,” Hinch said, “which means I need to have some conversations about how I’m going to line it up over the next 24 hours. But Kevin will be in the lineup.”
Kevin McGonigle roster decision explained
Before spring training, the Tigers’ top decision makers – Hinch, president of baseball operations Scott Harris and general manager Jeff Greenberg – promised to each other that they would keep an open mind to McGonigle making the Opening Day roster.
From there, McGonigle earned his way.
“We didn’t really want to put expectations on anyone because we could have gone either way,” Hinch said, “but just the fact that we were open at the beginning of camp cranked the door open. He took a major step forward to open it even more and ultimately get on this team.”
The final decision about McGonigle’s status on the Opening Day roster came down to winning.
The Tigers want to win the World Series.
It hasn’t happened since 1984.
“We’re trying to win as many games as we can,” Hinch said. “We’re trying to win the World Series – and Kevin McGonigle helps us get there. There’s a lot of work to be done. He’s still an unfinished product. That development needs to continue at the major-league level, but we feel his preparation and his routines that he developed during this spring were foundational enough to make him part of this.”
Kevin McGonigle stats in spring training
McGonigle played in 22 games for the Tigers in spring training, including 19 in the Grapefruit League, two in an exhibition series against Team Dominican Republic and one in an exhibition against the Rockies.
He hit .286 (14-for-49) with three home runs, 13 walks (20.6% walk rate) and 11 strikeouts (17.5% strikeout rate), spanning 63 plate appearances. He impressed with smart swing decisions and elite bat-to-ball skills, thanks to an advanced approach at the plate.
Beyond his offense, he showed he can handle both shortstop and third base on defense, which was the biggest question about his game coming into camp. The development of his pre-pitch preparation helped him put his body in a position to make every play.
“The at-bat quality was as advertised,” Hinch said, evaluating McGonigle’s performance. “I think his defense was really impressive with the details of his first step, his pre-pitch, completing plays.”
In 2025, McGonigle reached Double-A Erie – hitting .254 with 12 home runs, 33 walks and 26 strikeouts across 46 games, registering a .919 OPS. He also hit .372 with a 1.110 OPS in 36 games for High-A West Michigan.
He played in the 2025 Arizona Fall League, winning AFL MVP honors as he dominated across 19 games: .362 batting average with five homers, 19 walks, 12 strikeouts and a 1.210 OPS.
Kevin McGonigle service time scenarios with Tigers
There were three scenarios about service time for the Tigers to consider in their decision about McGonigle’s roster status, based on the Prospect Promotion Incentive:
Service time wasn’t a part of Hinch’s conversations with Harris and Greenberg.
That meant a lot to Hinch.
“One thing that resonated with me when he got here was that he was all about winning,” Hinch said, referencing Harris. “He wants to win at the major-league level. He has a huge responsibility over the entire organization, so the fact that he values winning to the degree he does is inspirational for me. We’re aligned perfectly on what we’re trying to do.”
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Kevin McGonigle makes Tigers’ Opening Day roster as top prospect
Reporting by Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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