The Tigers are starting to look like a team that’s finding its footing at exactly the right time.
Detroit made it three straight series wins Wednesday with a 6-1 victory over the Athletics, and the numbers behind the run are getting harder to ignore. The Tigers are 5-1 in July, 7-3 over their last 10, and their 20-12 mark since June 1 is the best in the American League.
They’re still sitting in fourth place in the AL Central, but the standings tightened up a bit the same night. With losses by the White Sox and Guardians, Detroit moved to within 5.5 games of the division lead and is now just four games back in the Wild Card race. The Tigers’ +20 run differential is one of only six positive marks in the AL and ranks fourth behind the Yankees, Rays and Mariners.
It’s the kind of stretch that can change the tone of a season, even if nobody inside the clubhouse is likely to say that out loud just yet. The Tigers have dug themselves out of a rough May, and they’re slowly closing the gap. For now, though, it still feels like a day-to-day watch.
There was also a change to Detroit’s Futures Game plans this week. Thayron Liranzo, the Tigers’ No. 5 prospect, had been named the club’s lone representative for the 2026 All-Star Futures Game. It would have been his second time in the game, but his first as a Tiger after he appeared as a Dodger in 2024, just weeks before he was dealt to Detroit in the Jack Flaherty trade.
Liranzo’s path to this point has already had plenty of twists. He endured a difficult 2025 at the plate while dealing with a personal tragedy, which pushed him off nearly every top 100 prospects list. Now, with Liranzo on Double-A Erie’s 7-day IL since July 3 because of an index finger laceration, he won’t be able to take part.
Taking his place is No. 4 prospect Max Anderson. Anderson has hit .307 with an .854 OPS in 52 games at Triple-A and has been a steady presence in the organization.
And then there’s Kevin McGonigle, who keeps piling up milestones. His 2-for-4 performance Tuesday in the Tigers’ opener against the A’s gave him multiple times on base in 53 games during his rookie season, the most by any rookie before the All-Star break since the event was created in 1933. That broke Aaron Judge’s 2017 record of 52 games.
At this point, the Rookie of the Year race doesn’t seem to be much of a race at all. Munetaka Murakami had been in the conversation, but his long stay on the IL has taken a big bite out of his case. Even if he had stayed healthy and kept launching home runs, Tigers fans would still be loudly making the argument for McGonigle.
In Other News...
Tigers First Round Track Record Looks Very Different Than Fans Think
The Tigers first-round draft story has not followed the tidy script many fans might assume when they hear about a wave of premium picks. A look back from 2022 through 2025 shows a front office that has mixed upside, patience and a few uncomfortable questions, with Jordan Yost, Bryce Rainer, Max Clark and Jace Jung all sitting at very different points on the development curve. Some are still climbing through the minors, some have already reached the majors, and the overall picture is less about one clean success story than a collection of separate bets still being sorted out.
Jordan Yost, the clubs 2025 first-rounder, is already drawing a C+ grade and leaving observers to wonder what Detroit sees in him. Clark remains in Triple-A, where the Tigers want him to keep developing while also preserving his PPI eligibility for 2027, even as the big-league temptation grows louder. And with the 2026 MLB Draft approaching, Detroit will have four picks after forfeiting its third-round selection by signing Framber Valdez, a reminder that the pipeline is still being shaped not just by who the Tigers choose, but by the roster decisions that come before the draft board ever turns. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Just Took Another Bullpen Flier Fans Will Want To Track
The Tigers added another arm to the bullpen mix by claiming right-hander Andre Granillo off waivers from the Nationals and sending him to Triple-A. It is the sort of low-risk move Detroit has made plenty of times as it keeps searching for usable pitching depth, and Granillo brings a little more intrigue than the usual waiver pickup because he has already reached the majors this season and now occupies a spot on the 40-man roster.
Granillo also arrives with some real pedigree, having once been considered a notable Cardinals prospect before St. Louis moved him to Washington earlier this year. The immediate assignment to Triple-A suggests the Tigers want to see more before giving him a longer look, but his track record and the fact that he has already opened this season in the big leagues make him one of those names worth following if Detroit needs another bullpen option later on. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Are Rolling And This Phillies Win Changed The Feeling Fast
The Tigers wasted no time turning a tight game into a loud one Friday night at Comerica Park, burying the Phillies 10-2 in the opener of a three-game series. Detroits offense broke through in a big sixth inning, then kept stacking on runs in the seventh, with Eduardo Valencia, Zach McKinstry, James Outman, Colt Keith and Spencer Torkelson all part of the surge that changed the tone fast.
Jack Flaherty helped set the stage by giving Detroit six innings and allowing two runs, giving the club another steady start to lean on as the lineup came alive behind him. The bigger question now is whether this was just one of those nights where everything clicked, or another sign that the Tigers are starting to look a lot more dangerous when a game gets into the middle innings. [Read more 🡒]