Zach McKinstry
2B/SS/3B/LF/RF DET
Sat 7/12/25 7:13 PM

McKinstry went 1-for-3 with a walk and a two-run home run in Saturday's 15-7 loss to the Mariners.
EDGE Analysis
A day after swiping two bases, McKinstry made his mark with his eighth home run of the season. It's one away from matching his career high, as the utility player hasn't generally been known for his power. McKinstry is also now sitting with an .842 OPS, which would easily be a new high-water mark and is well above his career .684 figure. McKinstry has been a sneaky fantasy performer in 2025 who can fill in at multiple positions across the field.

Zach McKinstry
2B/SS/3B/LF/RF DET
Sat 7/12/25 8:35 AM

McKinstry went 1-for-2 with a walk and an RBI in Friday's 12-3 loss to the Mariners. He also stole two bases.
EDGE Analysis
McKinstry kept his strong July rolling along, as he's now batting .323 with a 1.030 OPS across 10 games this month. He also stole two bases in a contest for the second time this season, with the other coming just three days prior. For the year, the utility player has now swiped 15 bases in 18 attempts, and he's paired that with a .287 batting average and .831 OPS through 86 games, giving McKinstry some unexpected fantasy value at this point in the season.

Zach McKinstry
2B/SS/3B/LF/RF DET
Wed 7/9/25 8:17 PM

McKinstry went 2-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI in Wednesday's 7-3 loss to the Rays.
EDGE Analysis
While Detroit's offense didn't really get rolling in this one, McKinstry managed to continue his strong July. The utility player is batting .310 this month with five extra-base hits in nine games. Overall, McKinstry is batting .286 with a robust .826 OPS, and he's been a pleasant surprise from an offensive standpoint for the surging Tigers.

Zach McKinstry
2B/SS/3B/LF/RF DET
Mon 7/7/25 10:29 PM

McKinstry went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's 5-1 win over the Rays.
EDGE Analysis
McKinstry launched his seventh home run of the season in the seventh inning, which was one of three Detroit long balls on the night. The veteran utility player continued his strong recent play, as he's now batting .344 over his last 10 games with three home runs, four RBI and eight runs scored. Overall, McKinstry is sporting a .285 batting average and an .819 OPS, both of which are significantly above his career marks of .233 and .678, respectively.

Zach McKinstry
2B/SS/3B/LF/RF DET
Sun 7/6/25 1:23 PM

McKinstry is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Guardians.
EDGE Analysis
After starting each of the last seven games and going 9-for-26 with two home runs, three RBI and six runs, McKinstry will receive a breather. Javier Baez will slide over from his usual spot at shortstop to fill in for McKinstry at third base.

Zach McKinstry
2B/SS/3B/LF/RF DET
Fri 7/4/25 11:57 PM

McKinstry went 1-for-4 with a solo home run during Friday's 2-1 win over the Guardians.
EDGE Analysis
McKinstry has seen a more reliable, consistent role since the injury to Kerry Carpenter (hamstring), and he rewarded his team with what turned out to be the game-winning homer Friday. The 30-year-old McKinstry now has six home runs as part of a season in which he is slashing .289/.361/.462 with eight doubles and 26 RBI.

Zach McKinstry
2B/SS/3B/LF/RF DET
Wed 7/2/25 11:58 AM

McKinstry will start at third base and bat sixth in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader versus the Nationals.
EDGE Analysis
Though the Tigers had shown more of a willingness to use Colt Keith at third base of late, McKinstry could end up seeing the bulk of the playing time at the position for the duration of Detroit's first-half schedule. With Kerry Carpenter (hamstring) landing on the injured list Wednesday and likely to be held out through the All-Star break, the Tigers will have openings for Keith at first base or designated hitter, with Spencer Torkelson likely starting at the other spot. McKinstry should thus have a clear path to steady playing time at third base in the short term, though the utility player had already been included in the Detroit lineup in five of the previous six contests. McKinstry's production had been tailing off in the second half of May, but he sported a hot bat throughout June, finishing the month with a .321/.353/.538 slash line to go with two home runs and seven stolen bases in 24 games.

Zach McKinstry
2B/SS/3B/LF/RF DET
Sat 6/28/25 7:20 PM

McKinstry went 3-for-4 with a home run, two runs scored and two RBI in Saturday's 10-5 win over the Twins.
EDGE Analysis
Getting the start at shortstop and batting eighth, the utility player went deep in the sixth inning, launching the fourth of four homers off Bailey Ober on the afternoon. With Trey Sweeney optioned to Triple-A Toledo on Friday, McKinstry figures to see a lot more action at shortstop in a timeshare with Javier Baez -- a strict platoon would benefit McKinstry as the left-handed hitter of the duo, but Baez's defense could tip the scales in his favor. McKinstry is making a case with his bat to be the primary option, batting .400 (12-for-30) over his last 10 games with a double, a triple, two homers, three steals, five runs and six RBI.

Zach McKinstry
2B/SS/3B/LF/RF DET
Thu 6/26/25 7:10 PM

McKinstry went 3-for-4 with a double, a triple, a run scored and two RBI in Thursday's 8-0 win over the Athletics. He also stole a base, though he was caught stealing once as well.
EDGE Analysis
McKinstry did a little bit of everything to help lead the Tigers to a comfortable win in the series finale. The utility player is having a nice season with a .277 batting average, .793 OPS and nine stolen bases across 73 games, though he has seen his playing time dip a bit recently with Colt Keith getting more run at third base. However, with the Athletics starting lefty Jeffrey Springs, the right-handed McKinstry got the nod over the left-handed Keith. That could be the arrangement moving forward, at least until Matt Vierling (shoulder) is able to return from the injured list.

Zach McKinstry
2B/SS/3B/LF/RF DET
Sun 6/22/25 9:23 AM

McKinstry is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rays, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
EDGE Analysis
For the second time in three games, McKinstry will hit the bench while the Tigers face a right-handed starting pitcher. With the team getting more comfortable using Colt Keith at third base, McKinstry's primary path to playing time appears to be closing. The 30-year-old is still capable of filling in at two other infield spots as well as both corner outfield spots, but his at-bats could become sporadic now that all of Detroit's key hitters are available, sans Matt Vierling (shoulder).