The Detroit Tigers‘ 2026 campaign has not gone anywhere near as expected.
After losing 3-2 to the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night, they’re now 66-79 on the season and will look to close out the three-game set with an afternoon showdown Wednesday.
Ahead of the matchup, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch made some notable changes to his starting lineup, including one involving All-Star catcher Dillon Dingler.
Tigers Announce Dingler Decision
After sitting Dingler on Tuesday night while backup catcher Eduardo Valencia started behind the plate, Hinch is putting Dingler back in the lineup for Wednesday’s finale.
The first-time All-Star will catch Keider Montero and bat fifth, with Riley Greene hitting cleanup as the team’s designated hitter.
Here’s the full Tigers lineup:
Via Underdog MLB: “Tigers 9/9 K. McGonigle 3B H. Lee 2B C. Keith 1B R. Greene DH D. Dingler C B. Callahan LF M. Clark CF B. Malgeri RF J. Peck SS K. Montero SP.”
Tigers 9/9
K. McGonigle 3B
H. Lee 2B
C. Keith 1B
R. Greene DH
D. Dingler C
B. Callahan LF
M. Clark CF
B. Malgeri RF
J. Peck SSK. Montero SP
— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) September 9, 2026
Looking at Dingler’s 2026 Season
In his third MLB season, Dingler has put together the best year of his career and emerged as one of the league’s best catchers.
He enters Wednesday’s game hitting .245 across 133 games and 506 at-bats. He’s recorded 66 runs, 124 hits, 26 home runs and 83 RBIs while slugging .457 with a .764 OPS.
Tigers Right Now
Sitting 13 games below .500 isn’t the recipe for success, and Detroit can likely sense its season is nearing the end with 17 regular-season games remaining.
The Tigers sit 9.5 games back in the AL Central and 7.5 games out of a Wild Card spot. Barring a late-season miracle, Detroit appears headed for a postseason miss after making the playoffs in each of the past two seasons.
Detroit Tigers Announce Dillon Dingler Decision During Twins Series