Dillon

Dingler

Dingler inflicted his damage against Pirates’ starter Andrew Heaney in the second inning — a 392-foot (102.4 mph EV) solo shot that got the Tigers on the board first. The 26-year-old backstop finished the night 1-for-3 and is now hitting .269 (7-for-28) with a pair of homers and six RBI on the spring. While his ceiling offensively is so much higher than Jake Rogers, the Tigers are committed to Rogers’ defense and leadership behind the plate so it’s going to be tough for Dingler to steal away the bulk of the at-bats there.

This was a missile, with Statcast saying it left his bat at 111.6 mph. If that’s the case, it’s an improvement of four mph over anything he hit in his 27 major league games last season and two mph over anything he hit in 97 Triple-A games since 2023. The Tigers did bring in veteran defensive specialists Brian Serven and Tomás Nido over the winter, but it looks like the plan is for Dingler to back up Jake Rogers this season. He has the higher fantasy ceiling of the two, but Rogers’ glove will probably keep him in the starting role.

Dinger put the Tigers on the board early, scoring two runs on a triple off Cade Povich in the second inning. He later knocked a base hit in the seventh and reached for a third time with a walk in the eighth. The 26-year-old catcher is hitting .145/.177/.289 with one homer and ten RBI across 79 plate appearances.

Dingler came off the bench Thursday and had a key passed ball in the ninth inning of the loss to the Rockies. The start tonight is his first in six days.

It seems several Tigers players are dealing with a bug. Jake Rogers will be behind the plate with Dingler unable to start.

Dingler singled in the second inning to plate Spencer Torkelson and put the Tigers up 1-0. It’s just the fifth RBI of the season for Dingler, who was playing in his 10th game since being promoted to the big league squad back on July 29. He entered the day batting .161 on the year and can be left on waiver wires despite the multi-hit night.

The second-inning homer off Hayden Birdsong was hit 108 mph and would have been a homer in 19 ballparks, according to Statcast. The double, which came three innings later, actually would have been a homer in 26 ballparks. He also had a 104.5-mph lineout, so it was a day of impressive at-bats for him. The 2020 second-round pick is 5-for-24 since taking Carson Kelly’s spot in Detroit.

As anticipated, Dingler gets the call to the big-leagues for the first time after Carson Kelly was dealt to the Rangers on Sunday. The 25-year-old slugger had been swinging a very hot bat at Triple-A Toledo where he was slashing .308/.379/.559 with 17 homers, 52 RBI and five stolen bases through 263 at-bats. He’ll share the load behind the plate with Jake Rogers for the remainder of the season and his power potential could make him an intriguing option in deeper two-catcher mixed leagues and AL-only formats.

It’s about time. The Tigers dealt Carson Kelly to the Rangers on Sunday to free up a spot on the roster for Dingler for the remainder of the 2024 season. The 25-year-old backstop has been swinging an extremely hot bat at Triple-A Toledo, homering in five straight games and slashing .308/.379/.559 with 17 homers, 52 RBI and five stolen bases overall through 263 at-bats on the season. If he hits the ground running, he could be worth a look in two-catcher leagues and AL-only formats.

There’s been some talk of a Carson Kelly trade, and if that happens, Dingler could get his first look in the majors. He’s had a terrific season for Toledo, hitting .306/.375/.549 with 16 homers in 69 games.