10-Day IL
Injury Hip
Est. Return 4/26/2026
2026 Stats
AVG
.209
HR
1
RBI
5
R
2
SB
0
Rest-of-Season Projections
2026 Fantasy Outlook
McKinstry enjoyed something of a breakout campaign in 2025, his sixth season at the MLB level. The veteran utility player appeared in 144 games and set career highs with 12 home runs, 19 stolen bases, 49 RBI and 68 runs scored. He also set a new career best with a .771 OPS, which was a good jump up from his .681 career mark. McKinstry enjoyed a degree of good luck with a .314 BABIP, which was up from .265 in 2024, though he also managed to increase his walk rate to a career best 9.2 percent while maintaining a strikeout rate right around 21 percent for the third straight year. The 30-year-old's greatest asset, at least in a real-world sense, is his ability to play all over the field. That does give McKinstry some added fantasy utility, though in past seasons he didn't hit enough to warrant much consideration despite the positional versatility. It's possible he regresses some in 2026, though if McKinstry keeps his OPS north of .700 and delivers double figures in homers and steals, he should maintain some value. Read Past Outlooks
Signed a one-year, $4.2 million contract with the Tigers in January of 2026.
Sent to 10-day IL
The Tigers placed McKinstry on the 10-day injured list Friday with left hip/abdominal inflammation.
Analysis
McKinstry was forced from Wednesday's game against the Royals with a couple of issues, as he was also said to be dealing with a scraped chest. It's been a tough start to the 2026 campaign for the 2025 All-Star, as McKinstry is slashing just .209/.261/.326 across 46 plate appearances. In a corresponding move, the Tigers recalled Hao-Yu Lee from Triple-A Toledo.
McKinstry was forced from Wednesday's game against the Royals with a couple of issues, as he was also said to be dealing with a scraped chest. It's been a tough start to the 2026 campaign for the 2025 All-Star, as McKinstry is slashing just .209/.261/.326 across 46 plate appearances. In a corresponding move, the Tigers recalled Hao-Yu Lee from Triple-A Toledo.
Batting Stats
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2026 MLB Game Log
2026
2025
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2020
Minor League Game Log
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Batting Order Slot Breakdown
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Left/Right Batting Splits
Since 2024
+4%
OPS vs LHP
2026
+362%
OPS vs RHP
| OPS | PA | HR | RBI | AVG | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2024vs Left | .725 | 159 | 1 | 19 | .250 | ||||
| Since 2024vs Right | .698 | 723 | 16 | 58 | .238 | ||||
| 2026vs Left | .143 | 7 | 0 | 0 | .000 | ||||
| 2026vs Right | .660 | 39 | 1 | 5 | .243 | ||||
| 2025vs Left | .854 | 119 | 1 | 15 | .296 | ||||
| 2025vs Right | .746 | 392 | 11 | 34 | .247 | ||||
| 2024vs Left | .379 | 33 | 0 | 4 | .133 | ||||
| 2024vs Right | .640 | 292 | 4 | 19 | .225 | ||||
| More Splits→ | View More Split Stats | ||||||||
| Minor League Splits→ | View Minor League Split Stats | ||||||||
Home/Away Batting Splits
Since 2024
+55%
OPS at Home
2026
+81%
OPS at Home
| OPS | PA | HR | RBI | AVG | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2024Home | .854 | 440 | 12 | 49 | .289 | ||||
| Since 2024Away | .552 | 442 | 5 | 28 | .191 | ||||
| 2026Home | .762 | 21 | 1 | 3 | .286 | ||||
| 2026Away | .422 | 25 | 0 | 2 | .136 | ||||
| 2025Home | .991 | 263 | 10 | 37 | .323 | ||||
| 2025Away | .544 | 248 | 2 | 12 | .193 | ||||
| 2024Home | .647 | 156 | 1 | 9 | .234 | ||||
| 2024Away | .582 | 169 | 3 | 14 | .197 | ||||
| More Splits→ | View More Split Stats | ||||||||
Stat Review
How does Zach McKinstry compare to other hitters?
This section compares his stats with all batting seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 400 plate appearances)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
* Exit Velocity and Barrels/PA % are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 400 PA) and Hard Hit Rate is benchmarked against last season's data (min 400 PA). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
* Exit Velocity and Barrels/PA % are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 400 PA) and Hard Hit Rate is benchmarked against last season's data (min 400 PA). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
BB/K
0.30BB Rate
6.5%K Rate
21.7%BABIP
.250ISO
.116AVG
.209OBP
.261SLG
.326OPS
.586wOBA
.262Exit Velocity
85.8 mphHard Hit Rate
15.1%Barrels/PA
2.2%Expected BA
.209Expected SLG
.294Sprint Speed
24.0 ft/secGround Ball %
48.5%Line Drive %
15.2%Fly Ball %
36.4%Prospect Rankings History
Advanced Batting Stats
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Additional Stats
Games By Position
Defensive Stats
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Batted Ball Stats
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Stats Vs Upcoming Pitchers
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2025
2024
2023
2021
2020
Across five MLB seasons, McKinstry has pretty much settled in as a light-hitting utility player known primarily for his defensive abilities. The 29-year-old batted .286 across a small sample of four games as a rookie with the Dodgers back in 2020, but he's batted .231 or worse in each of his seasons since then. He's also never reached double figures in home runs, as he topped out at nine long balls two years ago with Detroit, when he had a career-best 464 at-bats. McKinstry's value from a real-life perspective comes from his versatility. He appeared at every infield position except for first base last season and also saw time in the corner outfield spots. That makes McKinstry a useful MLB bench player, but it doesn't translate to fantasy impact. Heading into 2025, McKinstry should once again be a utility option who has some flashes of offensive ability but no real consistent value in most fantasy leagues.
More Fantasy News
Will undergo further testing on hip
Manager A.J. Hinch said Thursday that McKinstry will undergo further testing on his injured hip, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
Analysis
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Battling sore hip
McKinstry was pulled from Wednesday's game against Kansas City with hip soreness, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
Analysis
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Exits after collision
McKinstry was removed from Wednesday's game against the Royals after colliding with Jac Caglianone in the seventh inning, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.
Analysis
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Big day against Cards
McKinstry went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in Saturday's 11-6 win over St. Louis.
Analysis
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Heading to bench Wednesday
McKinstry is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks.
Analysis
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Will play in Midsummer Classic
McKinstry has been included on the American League roster for the 2025 MLB All-Star Game, Zack Meisel and Chandler Rome of The Athletic report.
Analysis
McKinstry is batting .283/.357/.460 for the Tigers this season, and he's earned the All-Star nod to replace Jeremy Pena, who is out with a rib injury. The Tigers are well represented on the American League roster ahead of the Midsummer Classic. McKinstry will join teammates Tarik Skubal, Riley Greene, Javier Baez and Gleyber Torres in Atlanta.
McKinstry is batting .283/.357/.460 for the Tigers this season, and he's earned the All-Star nod to replace Jeremy Pena, who is out with a rib injury. The Tigers are well represented on the American League roster ahead of the Midsummer Classic. McKinstry will join teammates Tarik Skubal, Riley Greene, Javier Baez and Gleyber Torres in Atlanta.