Tigers Underrated Prospect Projected to Have Massive Season and Make Leap
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The Detroit Tigers have a couple of prospects at the top of their farm system who have made some serious noise this spring, albeit for different reasons to this point.
Top prospect Kevin McGonigle and his push to make the Opening Day roster has been the story of camp, while No. 2 prospect Max Clark and his rough go of it -- as well as criticism of his flashy style -- has been widely discussed as well.
Beyond the pair at the very top of the farm however, Detroit has another potential future superstar who has been a bit forgotten about due to an injury he suffered last season. 2024 first round selection Bryce Rainer is currently the No. 3 prospect in the system and will have to keep proving it in order to stay there.
After suffering a shoulder injury which cost him the remainder of his season following a hot start, Rainer is now cleared fully for offense and will try to re-establish himself. A recent prediction article from MLB Pipeline giving a bold pick for each farm system expects the youngster to do just that.
Rainer Projected to Have Huge Season in Return from Injury for Tigers
"Kevin McGonigle and Max Clark give the Tigers two high-ceiling prospects in the overall top 10 ranks, and there are some across the industry who believe Rainer is just as, if not more, talented overall," the article read. "The No. 11 pick in the 2024 Draft has plus power potential and is an above-average athlete at shortstop, when he isn’t sidelined by the right shoulder that limited him to only 35 Single-A games in 2025. Once he returns to regular playing time in ‘26, Rainer will become a top-10 overall prospect by the midseason update."
In 35 Single-A games prior to the injury, Rainer had slashed .288/.383/.448 with five home runs and 22 RBI, quickly establishing himself as someone who could make the jump to High-A before he even turned 20 years old.
Now, he will essentially have to restart on that progress, but Rainer is as equipped as anyone to make that happen and get back to some serious status in terms of being a followed prospect for Detroit.
Tigers Will Take Time with Rainer After Injury
Rainer is going to likely just serve as designated hitter at the start of the season after his scary shoulder injury, but it sounds like he could return to the infield sometime in the month of April as he continues throwing rehab.
His arm is one of the stronger attributes of him as a prospect, so getting him fully back healthy and ready to return to the left side of the infield will be critical for his development. If Rainer can in fact get back on the field and start raking again though, it's a very encouraging sign of things to come for the future of the organization.
The idea of him and McGonigle playing in the same infield should be enough to make Detroit fans drool, and if he has the kind of season predicted above, it may not be all that far off.
Michael Brauner is a 2022 graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in Sports Media. He covers various MLB teams across the On SI network and you can also find his work on Yellowhammer News covering the Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers as well as on the radio producing and co-hosting 'The Opening Kickoff' every weekday morning on 105.5 WNSP FM in Mobile, Alabama.