Torkelson went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals.
Torkelson got off to a 3-for-18 start at the plate in spring training. Since then, however, he's gone 7-for-19 with two doubles, and Saturday's home run was his first in Grapefruit League action. Torkelson struggled as a rookie in 2022, but the talent is there for him to take a big step forward in his second MLB season, and he seems to be building some momentum as the team approaches Opening Day.
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Tigers' Spencer Torkelson: Struggling this spring
Rotowire
Torkelson has just three hits in 18 Grapefruit League at-bats so far with six strikeouts.
Torkelson is off to a slow start, which is discouraging after he struggled to a .203/.285/.319 slash line across 360 at-bats as a rookie in 2022. The team has suggested the 23-year-old will serve as the everyday first baseman this season, and as a one-time No. 1 overall pick, he should be given plenty of opportunities to succeed. Fantasy managers should stay patient, as Torkelson has the talent and pedigree to get rolling at any point, though there could still be some rough patches along the way.
Tigers' Spencer Torkelson: In line to be primary first baseman
Rotowire
Torkelson is likely to serve as the Tigers' everyday first baseman in 2023, manager A.J. Hinch intimated to Jason Beck of MLB.com Thursday.
It's difficult to envision anyone else but Torkelson at first base when looking at Detroit's roster, especially since Miguel Cabrera is now viewed as a designated hitter. Still, it's nice to hear Hinch hint that Torkelson will be given plenty of leash. The former No. 1 overall pick struggled as a rookie in 2022, posting a lowly .604 OPS with eight home runs over 110 games. He wasn't great after a demotion to Triple-A Toledo, either, with a .738 OPS. However, Torkelson is just 23 years and has plenty of pedigree, offering hope he could figure things out in 2023.
Torkelson went 3-for-5 with a solo home run and an additional run during a 9-6 loss in Game 2 of Tuesday's doubleheader.
Torkelson delivered his sixth three-hit game of the season with singles in the third and fifth innings and a solo home run in the sixth. The trio of hits snapped a 23 at-bat hitless stretch over the 23-year-old's previous seven contests as the top prospect has endured a rough ending to what has been a disappointing rookie season. Torkelson is slashing .204/.285/.607 with eight home runs, 37 runs and 28 RBI in 109 games.
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Tigers' Spencer Torkelson: Takes seat Monday
Rotowire
Torkelson isn't starting Monday against the Mariners.
Torkelson started the last three games but went 0-for-10 with five strikeouts. He'll get a breather while Harold Castro takes over at first base and bats fifth.
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Tigers' Spencer Torkelson: Resting for day game
Rotowire
Torkelson is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Royals.
Harold Castro will take over at first base while the rookie rests for the series finale. Torkelson started in both of the first two matchups with Kansas City, going 0-for-7 with a walk and two strikeouts.
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Tigers' Spencer Torkelson: Sitting Sunday
Rotowire
Torkelson is not in Sunday's lineup against the White Sox.
Torkelson is hitting .179 with zero home runs over his last 10 games, but on the bright side, he is only striking out at a 16.7 percent clip over that stretch. Harold Castro will start at first base and hit third.
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Tigers' Spencer Torkelson: Three hits in romp
Rotowire
Torkelson went 3-for-4 with a walk, two doubles and three runs scored in Monday's 11-0 win over the Orioles.
Torkelson played a big role in an easy Detroit win, and it was the rookie's second three-hit effort this month. It's been a tough debut season overall, though the 23-year-old is batting a solid .280 in September. Torkelson certainly has the pedigree, and he could be in line for a nice 2023 campaign if he carries over any momentum into the offseason.
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Tigers' Spencer Torkelson: Out of Wednesday's lineup
Rotowire
Torkelson is not in Wednesday's lineup against the Astros.
Torkelson is hitting .265/.375/.471 with one home run, six strikeouts and four walks in 10 games since returning from Triple-A. Harold Castro will start at first base and hit third.
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Tigers' Spencer Torkelson: Regains hold of everyday role
Rotowire
Torkelson will start at first base and bat fifth in Monday's game against the Astros.
After a rough start to begin his MLB career followed by an underwhelming six-week run at Triple-A Toledo, Torkelson is finally beginning to resemble the top-flight prospect he was billed as heading into the season since he rejoined the Tigers as a September call-up. Over his first eight games on the month, Torkelson is slashing .333/.438/.593 with a 15.6 percent strikeout rate. The September sample is a small one, but it's been enough for Torkelson to re-emerge as the team's everyday first baseman. He'll be picking up his seventh consecutive start Monday.
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Tigers' Spencer Torkelson: Blasts sixth home run
Rotowire
Torkelson went 1-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run in Wednesday's 5-4 win over the Angels.
Torkelson hit his sixth home run of the season and first since getting recalled from Triple-A Toledo earlier this month. His rookie season hasn't lived up to expectations, as the 23-year-old is batting just .197 with a .594 OPS, though the talent is there for him to bounce back in 2023 and deliver on the promise that made him the top pick of the 2020 draft.
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Tigers' Spencer Torkelson: Back on bench Sunday
Rotowire
Torkelson is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Royals.
Torkelson had started at first base in both of the Tigers' last two games, once against a lefty (Daniel Lynch) and once against a righty (Jonathan Heasley). He went 0-for-5 between those contests, though he managed to reach base twice on hit-by-pitches and once via a walk. Torkelson remains a key foundational piece for the rebuilding Tigers, but he won't be assured an everyday role in September in light of his struggles at the big-league level this season along with his middling production at Triple-A Toledo prior to his promotion Thursday. Harold Castro will start at first base and bat cleanup Sunday and still looks to be the Tigers' preferred option, at least for now.
The Tigers recalled Torkelson from Triple-A Toledo on Thursday.
Torkelson and infield prospect Ryan Kreidler received promotions from Toledo with the Tigers' 26-man roster expanding to 28 on Thursday. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 First-Year Player Draft got off to a rough start to his big-league career earlier this season, turning in a .197/.282/.295 slash line over 298 plate appearances before being demoted to Toledo on July 17. His .737 OPS over 35 games at Triple-A didn't mark a major improvement for the 23-year-old considering the level of competition, so the Tigers may not be eager to reinstall him as their everyday first baseman in September. Harold Castro will remain in the lineup at first base in Thursday's series finale with the Mariners, while Torkelson hits the bench.
The Tigers plan to recall Torkelson from Triple-A Toledo on Thursday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
After being optioned to Toledo on July 17, Torkelson was a league-average performer (100 wRC+) in the minors, as he slashed an unremarkable .228/.347/.394 with a 25.5 percent strikeout rate over 150 plate appearances. Though he didn't show the major offensive turnaround at Triple-A that the Tigers had hoped, Torkelson looks like he'll receive the call back to Detroit nonetheless. However, due to his poor showing with Detroit over the first three months of the season along with his lackluster production at Triple-A, Torkelson won't be a lock to reclaim the everyday role at first base and may have to share the position with Harold Castro.
