Detroit Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson was left out of the starting lineup on Monday, April 20, 2026. The move came for the series finale against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. The Tigers had a chance to win the four-game series.
Torkelson is stuck in an 0-for-11 slump. He has one walk and four strikeouts over his last twelve plate appearances. The 26-year-old has a .182 batting average and a .561 OPS in 21 games this season.
Manager A.J. Hinch commented on the struggles before Sunday’s 6-2 win. “It’s a tough sport,” Hinch said. “You go through these stretches where, when you want to be patient, you fall behind, and when you try to be aggressive, you swing out of the zone a little bit.”
In that Sunday game, Torkelson went 0-for-3. He recorded one walk and one strikeout in three trips to the plate. He remains in search of his first home run of the 2026 season.
“For Tork, I think connecting with one might be enough for him,” Hinch said. “It can click him right into being on time and hitting all pitches.”
In 2025, Torkelson tied his career high with 31 home runs. He also hit a career-high .240 batting average with a .789 OPS in 155 games. His walk rate was 11.1% and his strikeout rate was 26% that year.
A primary issue is Torkelson’s swing rate. He is swinging just 36.7% of the time this season. That is down from 44.6% last season.
His first-pitch swing rate has dropped to 13.6% from 31.5%. A secondary issue is his defense, with minus-2 defensive runs saved in 175⅔ innings at first base.
The passive approach has improved his plate discipline. His chase rate is down to 16.4%, which is in the 98th percentile. His walk rate is up to 17.3%, in the 93rd percentile.
However, he is striking out at a career-worst 28.4% clip. That rate is in the 23rd percentile. When he does swing, he isn’t doing damage.
He has a career-worst 88.9 mph average exit velocity. That ranks in the 41st percentile. Torkelson probably needs to be more aggressive.
“He’s been pretty patient or passive, whichever way you want to look at it, on pitches,” Hinch said. “Find a happy medium on how aggressive to be and continue to get good pitches to hit, then it just comes down to execution.”
With Torkelson benched, Colt Keith received his third start at first base. He previously started there on April 1 and April 8. The 24-year-old is hitting .317 with a .777 OPS in 19 games.
Keith has become one of the Tigers’ most consistent hitters through the early season. The team faced the Boston Red Sox in the series finale.
