Detroit Tigers Potential Starting Line Up for Opening Day Shows No Gaps
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It is always important during the offseason for teams to be constantly looking at what their current roster looks like for the upcoming year so they know what gaps need to be addressed, if there are any.
The Detroit Tigers haven't done much this offseason in regards to their position players, so their current opening day roster looks eerily similar to the guys seen in 2025. As the organization is still actively searching for another bat, this could look a little different, but fans should not expect too much to change.
Projected Lineup
3B Colt Keith
2B Gleyber Torres
DH Kerry Carpenter
LF Riley Greene
1B Spencer Torkelson
RF Wenceel Pérez
C Dillon Dingler
SS Javier Báez
CF Parker Meadows
One MLB insider, Joel Reuter (via Bleacher Report) had thoughts on where the Tigers currently sit with their position players:
"They remain on the periphery of the Alex Bregman market, and could benefit from some additional outfield depth, but if the season started today this would be a solid lineup without any glaring holes," said Reuter.
It would be unfathomable for anybody but 2x Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal to get the start against the Padres on their first day of action. If (when) he does it will be his third consecutive opening day start for the ballclub.
Key Players for 2026
The Tigers were not known for being full of big bats by any means, but between the breakout season that both Greene and McKinstry just had as well both Torkelson and Carpenter being players to count on, that could be a different story in 2026.
However, it won't come down to just their already established guys, but the up-and-coming players as well, including Keith, Dingler and Pérez. All three made their Major League debut in 2024, and all three have improved immensely since then.
Keith hasn't had a low batting average in his two years with the ball club (no less than .260) but it is his all-around offense that has improved. From 2024 to 2025, both his on-base and slugging percentages grew, giving him a near .750 OPS.
Colt Keith in July:
— ⚡️ (@DBillius) August 1, 2024
.322 AVG
.404 OBP
.644 SLG
1.048 OPS (T-13th)
190 wRC+ (T-12th)
1.4 fWAR (T-10th)
7 HR
Only 22 years old.
pic.twitter.com/oj709fbFd4
This was easily the best season for Perez as he crossed the double-digit threshold in home runs (13) as well as 43 runs batted in, both career highs in less games played. If he keeps improving at the pace he is then he could be a No. 5 or No. 6 guy in the rotation.
In his first year as the primary catcher Dingler secured a Gold Glove Award which was impressive but the way he found his swing shows he is ready for a big year at the plate. He finished 2025 with a .278/.327/.425 to complement 57 RBI and 13 long balls.
March will be here before we know it and time will tell if this roster is as solid as it currently looks.
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Maddy Dickens resides in Loveland, Colorado. She grew up with two older brothers, where their lives revolved around sports. She earned a master's degree in business management from Tarleton State University while simultaneously playing basketball and competing in rodeo at the collegiate level. She successfully parlayed a reserve national championship into a professional rodeo career and now stays involved in upper-level athletics by writing for On SI on several different MLB teams' pages, along with some NCAA sites.