Missouri’s Kansas City On Wednesday, the Detroit Tigers learned some positive news regarding Colt Keith, their second baseman.
In the fifth inning of Tuesday’s 3-1 victory, Keith was hurt diving for a ball on defense. As a result, he was not in the starting lineup for Wednesday’s series finale at Kauffman Stadium against the Kansas City Royals.
Keith is not anticipated to be added to the injured list, which is fantastic news. Better yet, after having Thursday off, the Tigers are hoping that Keith will be back in the starting lineup for Friday’s series opener against the Baltimore Orioles on the road.
Before the game on Wednesday, manager AJ Hinch stated, “It could’ve been much worse.” “We’ll see whether he’s available tonight, and he’ll hit during the game. All we can do is decide what we can do with him on a daily basis. With any luck, the news we received indicates that anything more significant has been avoided.”
Head athletic trainer Ryne Eubanks watched Keith toss passes to infield coordinator Billy Boyer prior to Wednesday’s game. His right shoulder is still not completely healed, but it is encouraging that he is swinging freely and may be used as a designated hitter.
Prior to this, in June 2022, the 23-year-old hurt his right shoulder diving for a ball on defense and diving on a pickoff attempt at first base.
Keith stated, “Feeling better than I thought it was going to feel,” following his Wednesday toss. “Slightly painful and stiff. Just go slowly. I have no doubt that I will be able to return in the coming days.”
Medical test results, according to Keith, were “pretty clean.”
Keith told them to keep working and went over the schedule for the following few days. “Continue to move forward. merely attempting to follow a throw progression and see where it leads.”
For the Tigers’ final game against the Royals on Wednesday, the team started Zach McKinstry at second base and Ace Jung at third base in lieu of Keith. Despite Jung’s extensive experience playing second base in the minor leagues and in college, he is not anticipated to begin at second base while Keith is out of the infield.
Consequently, until Keith returns to his position in the infield, McKinstry and Andy Ibáñez will play second base.d.
Hinch remarked, “He’s been a huge part of this.” “If he can manage it, we should be able to match up with him tonight. Better still, if he needs to take today and tomorrow off and we can have him on Friday. He has been a crucial component of this team’s stability.”
In his rookie season of 2024, Keith is hitting.264 with 13 home runs, 35 walks, and 104 strikeouts in 139 games. Since May 1, he has played in 113 games with an average of.289 (including 13 home runs). His best run total in September was.315 in 14 games.
