Jace

Jung

This may be a one-day thing. Matt Vierling has mostly hit third lately, but he’s not in there tonight, and Greene has been moved down one spot. Jung isn’t doing much hitting since his callup, but he does have a nice walk rate, leaving him with a .208/.323/.245 line in 62 plate appearances.

It’s odd to see Carpenter not in the lineup against an opposing right-hander, especially after he crushed a three-run homer in Friday night’s loss. It likely has something to do with Nick Pivetta’s strong reverse splits, as left-handers are hitting just .190/.250/.380 against him in 212 plate appearances on the season. That’s probably why Jace Jung is getting a breather as well.

The Tigers are pretty lefty heavy since adding Jung and Trey Sweeney to their lineup, and they’re really leaning into it today against the Angels, with Zach McKinstry starting and Matt Vierling on the bench to begin the game. No. 6 hitter Spencer Torkelson and No. 9 hitter Dillon Dingler are the only righties in the lineup. Jung is batting .243/.364/.270 with just one extra-base hit in 44 plate appearances since his callup, though he does have four hits and two walks in his last three games.

Jung has started against all opposing right-handers since his promotion from Triple-A Toledo, but he’ll take a seat against White Sox’ southpaw Ky Bush on Saturday. Zach McKinstry will start in his place at the hot corner and will bat eighth for the Tigers.

The 23-year-old rookie third baseman drew a walk off of Marcus Stroman in the fifth inning and attempted to score on a two-out double by Parker Meadows but was cut down at the plate. He atoned for that in the ninth inning — smacking a game-tying RBI single off of Yankees’ closer Clay Holmes that forced extra innings and helped to lead the Tigers to victory. The youth movement in Detroit should make things fun in Motown over the final six weeks of the season.

The 23-year-old third baseman walked in each of his first two plate appearances against Gerrit Cole before taking a called third strike in each of his next two at-bats. He also attempted a stolen base in the contest and was initially ruled safe, but it was overturned upon video review. Jung should function as the club’s regular third baseman for the remainder of the season and is worth a look as a corner infield option in deeper mixed leagues.

The brother of the Rangers Josh Jung, Jace is being called up for his major league debut for Friday’s game against the Yankees. Jung hit 14 home runs with an .831 OPS at Triple-A this year. The former first round pick has enough power to contribute for fantasy purposes right away, but don’t expect much else in the other categories.

Jung will make his major league debut on Friday night against the Yankees after posting an .831 OPS with 14 homers and two steals over 415 plate appearances this season for Triple-A Toledo. The 23-year-old former first-round pick from the 2022 MLB Draft possesses big-time over-the-fence pop and strong plate skills, which give him a shot at contributing right away for fantasy managers. The biggest question for fantasy purposes is whether Jung offers enough batting average potential to offset the fact that he’s only going to chip in a handful of stolen bases. He doesn’t project a future five-category fantasy superstar, but it’s easy to envision Jung blossoming into a strong power plus counting stats option at the hot corner.

Jung, 23, has been on the injured list since June 21 with soreness in his right wrist. The brother of Josh Jung completed a rehab assignment with Low-A Lakeland where he went 3-for-10. If Jung stays healthy and keeps performing well in Triple-A, he could be an option for the Tigers and fantasy managers in the second half of the year.

Jung was placed on the injured list for Triple-A Toledo on June 21st. On Tuesday, Jung saw a hand specialist and was cleared for baseball activities. He is beginning a “return to play program” in Lakeland and should be back in action for Triple-A Toledo soon.