The Tigers on Friday placed Zach McKinstry on the 10-day injured list and called up infield prospect Hao-Yu Lee from Triple-A Toledo. He was in the lineup against the Red Sox, batting eighth at Fenway Park.
“We’re excited for Lee to get his feet wet in the big leagues,” manager AJ Hinch said. “He’s a good player. We’ve had him in big league camp the last two years. He hits the ball hard and can play good defense. Now he’s getting his first look at one of the cathedrals in our sport for his debut.”
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Part of the decision to call up Lee, and not Jace Jung or Trei Cruz, Hinch said, was where the Tigers are in the schedule. Including Friday against Ranger Suarez, the Tigers will be facing six lefties in the next 12 games.
The right-handed hitting Lee slugged .558 with a .969 OPS against lefties last season.
More: Tigers’ Hao-Yu Lee owns some top tools among MLB Pipeline’s top 3B prospects
Coming off an oblique injury this spring, which kept him from playing for Chinese Taipei in the WBC, he’s off to a slow start at Toledo (4 for 26).
“He’s been swinging it better than his numbers indicate,” Hinch said. “Results are so finicky this time of year. He’s coming off a good day (Wednesday). He hit a home run. So it’s good timing for that. He’s been hitting it hard and making good decisions on what to swing at.
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“And that is key in transitioning from Triple-A to the big leagues.”
McKinstry exited Wednesday night’s game against the Royals ahead of the eighth inning of the Tigers’ 2-1 victory. He fell hard on the hip twice. Once on a head-first slide at the plate and the other after he was tripped up by Royals’ Jac Caglianone.
“He’s pretty beat up,” Hinch said. “We didn’t want to play short-handed but we’re also hoping to get him back quickly.”
McKinstry stayed back in Detroit and is expected to undergo further evaluations.
“He was doing better today than he was yesterday,” Hinch said. “But he clearly needed a break to heal up.”
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Lee, 23, was not made available to the media until after the game. He is No. 6 among the Tigers’ top 30 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline, and was acquired by the Tigers in an August 2023 trade that sent starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen to the Philadelphia Phillies.
Around the horn
Justin Verlander (hip inflammation) did not make the trip to Boston. “We have to respect the soreness and inflammation that he’s dealing with,” Hinch said. “He’s working out and he’s doing everything. It’s just going a little bit slower. We’re going to respect it and give him the time he needs.”
… Lefty reliever Bailey Horn (elbow), who has had his throwing program paused, received a cortisone shot Thursday.
What to know about MLB’s ABS robot umpire strike zone system
MLB launches ABS challenge system as players test robot umpire calls in a groundbreaking season.
The 2026 MLB season has surpassed the quarter mark, and after each team’s first 40 games, there’s plenty of reasons to tune in all summer long.
Chicago White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami has already proven doubters wrong by launching 17 home runs, Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes consistently looks like the best version of himself on the mound and Milwaukee ace Jacob Misiorowski is throwing harder than any starter in the majors.
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The MLB action continues on Friday as the Houston Astros visit the Detroit Tigers.
Here’s everything you need to know to tune in for the first pitch.
See USA TODAY’s sortable MLB schedule to filter by team or division.
What time is Houston Astros vs Detroit Tigers?
First pitch between the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. (ET) on Friday, June 26.
How to watch Houston Astros vs Detroit Tigers on Friday
All times Eastern and accurate as of Friday, June 26, 2026, at 6:34 a.m.
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Watch MLB all season long with Fubo
MLB regional blackout restrictions apply
MLB scores, results
MLB scores for June 26 games are available on usatoday.com . Here’s how to access today’s results:
An investigation is underway after police shot and killed a man on Detroit’s west side. (Noelle Friel, Sara Schulz, Copyright 2026 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit – All rights reserved.)
DETROIT – An investigation is underway after police shot and killed a man on Detroit’s west side.
The incident occurred on Thursday (June 25) in the 18900 block of Rosemont Avenue and 7 Mile Road, prompting a response from police and emergency crews, who set up a staging area.
Local 4 is heading to the scene and will provide updates as they become available, but the victim’s condition has not been released as of 7:55 p.m.
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The Detroit Police Department’s Media Relations team was responding to the scene, and officials said additional information would be provided, including a media briefing with sound available.
Authorities have not released details about what led up to the shooting or the circumstances involving the officer or officers involved.
This is a breaking news story, and updates will be posted as they become available.
Copyright 2026 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit – All rights reserved.
About the Author
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Brandon Carr
Brandon Carr is a digital content producer for ClickOnDetroit and has been with WDIV Local 4 since November 2021. Brandon is the 2015 Solomon Kinloch Humanitarian award recipient for Community Service.
The Detroit Lions are facing a significant dilemma regarding a player selected in the first-round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
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Cornerback Terrion Arnold is facing multiple felony charges stemming from an alleged robbery and kidnapping plot in Florida.
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When drafted, the former Alabama Crimson Tide defensive back signed a four-year, $14,343,710 contract. The agreement included a $7,251,788 signing bonus and an average salary of $3,585,928 annually.
So at this point, Arnold has been paid more than half of his contract.
This year, Arnold was set to earn a base salary of $1,273,974, which included a roster bonus of $825,000. His cap hit is $3,911,921 this year and has dead cap hit of $9,127,816.
If the Lions decide to cut the 23-year-old, they would be on the hook for dead cap costs, but could in the future recoup monies based on the league’s conduct policy.
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According to Spotrac, “Lions Terrion Arnold has 2-years, $4.8 M (guaranteed) remaining on his rookie contract, plus a potential 5th-year option for the 2028 season. Any suspension stemming from a violation of the league’s conduct polict would void the guarantees.”
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In the short term, cutting Arnold is not significantly beneficial. The organization could save money in the future depending on if his decisions are deemed to have breech the clauses in his first NFL contract.
Detroit has options at the cornerback position if Arnold is no longer a part of the organization. Nick Whiteside, Rock Ya-Sin, Keith Abney and Ennis Rakestraw are all in the mix to earn playing time opposite of veteran D.J. Reed.
“It’s just the depth. Like, you’ve got guys that have played in games and that’s what you want. It’s not like you’re guessing on what you’re getting. You know what you’re going to get from those guys and so another year in the system, another year competing, he’s (Whiteside) going to be better,” said defensive backs coach Deshea Townsend. “And just that’s the thing about the NFL, you got to have guys who go out there and compete and he’s another one that’s capable of playing and it’s going to push everybody else in the room.”
Currently, the team has $19,338,873 (17th) available in cap space, based on the top-51 players on the roster.
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#Lions CB Terrion Arnold has 2-years, $4.8M (guaranteed) remaining on his rookie contract, plus a potential 5th-year option for the 2028 season.
Any suspension stemming from a violation of the league’s conduct policy would void the guarantees.
— Spotrac (@spotrac) June 25, 2026
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