Trey

Sweeney

No word yet on the severity of the issue or on how much time the 25-year-old infielder may miss. Sweeney had already been seemingly phased out of the mix to open the season as the Tigers’ starting shortstop, so missing time during Grapefruit League play isn’t likely to hurt him in that regard.

There are no real surprises here. The Tigers are using the same lineup on Tuesday that they used against most right-handed pitching in the final weeks of the season. Javier Baez will play shortstop and bat ninth, which means Trey Sweeney will be on the bench. Andy Ibanez figures to come in for McKinstry if the Guardians bring in a left-handed reliever.

Báez was scratched from Tuesday’s lineup with stiffness in his neck, and the 32-year-old will miss at least one more game with the ailment. Trey Sweeney gets another start at shortstop and will hit ninth in Báez’s absence.

It’s a tough break for Detroit to lose Báez at the outset of a critical three-game series against the Guardians which is likely to determine the winner of the AL Central division crown. The 32-year-old is presumably day-to-day for now. It’ll be Trey Sweeney taking over at shortstop.

There should be a clearer idea of McKinstry’s status once he undergoes further evaluation and treatment. The big concern here is that back issues can be tricky matters and tend to linger beyond initial expectations. The uber-versatile 30-year-old has put together the best season of his career with 11 homers and 19 steals in 130 contests. It’ll be Trey Sweeney taking over at shortstop on Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium.

Báez will get the middle game of the series against Houston off with Trey Sweeney getting a start at shortstop and hitting ninth.

Sweeney has now started three of the four games since he was recalled from Triple-A Toledo on Sunday. With Matt Vierling on the injured list, it seems that the Tigers are going to play Wenceel Perez in right field and shift Javier Baez to center field to allow Sweeney to play regularly at shortstop. The 25-year-old is hitting .208/.277/.301 in 88 games for the Tigers this year and remains off the fantasy radar.

Sweeney returns to the majors for Sunday’s series finale against the Angels with Matt Vierling heading to the shelf with an oblique strain. The 25-year-old infielder is unlikely to play enough to make an impact for fantasy purposes, even in extremely deep AL-only formats.

Sweeney opened the year as Detroit’s starting shortstop, but eventually wound up ceding the role to veteran Javier Báez amid a resurgent campaign. The 25-year-old figures to be in the mix to return at some point later this year, but there isn’t much of a role for him with the Tigers at the moment.

Báez made an early exit from Sunday’s series finale against the Rangers after a flare-up of an existing left shoulder injury that he’s been playing through since late June. The versatile 32-year-old is officially day-to-day for now. He could sit out a couple additional games this week out of an abundance of caution, but it doesn’t sound like a significant concern at the moment. It’ll be Trey Sweeney taking over at shortstop on Monday night in his absence.