Trey Sweeney

Javier Baez has generally been a disaster at shortstop for the Tigers, which has opened the door for Sweeney. The 24-year-old was shipped to Detroit in July as part of the Jack Flaherty trade, and Sweeney made his MLB debut not long after that. Baez ended up shutting down his season early due to a hip issue and subsequent surgery, which paved the way for Sweeney to see fairly regular playing time down the stretch. The rookie endured some struggles, as he batted just .218 with a .642 OPS across 36 games. Sweeney did manage four home runs in that limited action, and the former first-round pick likely has 20-homer upside as he continues to develop at the MLB level. Heading into 2025, the Detroit front office has said Baez should be healthy and will have a role with the club. It remains to be seen if that's as the everyday starter at short, but with the Tigers embracing a youth movement and finding success in 2024, Sweeney has a good shot to supplant the veteran. There will likely be some more growing pains, but Sweeney is worth keeping an eye on as an upside play in fantasy leagues, particularly if he snags a regular role in the early going.