Detroit, MI
Detroit Tigers call up prospect Hao-Yu Lee, place Zach McKinstry on IL
Boston — Not a bad place for big-league debut.
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.”
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.
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.
“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.”
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.
Chris.McCosky@detroitnews.com
@cmccosky
The Detroit Zoo welcomed a new giraffe, Nguvu, to the herd, officials announced on Wednesday.
Officials say 1-year-old Nguvu came from Utah’s Hogle Zoo as part of the zoo’s “long-term plan for the giraffe herd.”
“This move was recommended by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Giraffe Species Survival Plan, which promotes the health, genetic diversity and overall sustainability of giraffe populations in zoos – and we’re eager to support Nguvu as he adjusts to his new home,” the Detroit Zoo says.
Officials say Nguvu has been working with the animal care teams for several days and will be introduced to the herd soon.
According to Utah’s Hogle Zoo, Nguvu was born in February 2025. His name means “strength” in Swahili.
The Detroit Lions are taking part in the NFL’s International series for the first time since 2015 by hosting the AFC Champion New England Patriots Week 10 in Munich at Allianz Arena on Sunday, Nov. 15 at 9:30 a.m. ET (3:30 p.m. local time in Germany) on FOX.
The Patriots represented the AFC in the Super Bowl this past February after a 14-3 season and their 22nd AFC East title. They beat the Los Angeles Chargers (16-3), Houston Texans (28-16) and Denver Broncos (10-7) in the playoffs to earn their 12th Super Bowl appearance, which they lost to Seattle (29-13).
Patriots QB Drake Maye is one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL entering his third season and New England’s defense is coming off a 2025 season in which they ranked fourth in points allowed (18.8) and eighth in total defense (295.2).
This is the second of Detroit’s 2026 matchups to be announced early (Week 2 TNF in Buffalo). The rest of the Lions schedule will be revealed Thursday evening.
4Warn Weather – Metro Detroit is getting a bit of everything this week: from freezing temperatures to summerlike heat.
Mixed in are rain chances.
Tuesday night will feature scattered showers and a chance of a few thunderstorms as a cold front moves through Southeast Michigan.
The strongest storms Tuesday night are not expected to be severe, but a few downpours and gusty winds will be possible before the rain tapers off overnight.
Overnight temperatures will settle into the 40s and 50s in most locations.
Cooler air will arrive first across the Thumb and northern communities, with lows dipping into the mid- to upper 40s near Lapeer, Port Huron, and Sandusky.
Detroit and Downriver communities will be in the lower 50s.
Wednesday
Wednesday will feel noticeably cooler and breezy behind the front. High temperatures may struggle to climb much beyond the mid-50s in Metro Detroit, while communities farther north could remain even cooler at times under mostly cloudy skies.
A stray shower cannot be ruled out during the day, but much of Wednesday looks dry.
That cooler air will greet fans heading downtown Wednesday evening for Game 5 between the Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers at Little Caesars Arena.
Temperatures around tipoff at 8 p.m. will hover near 50 degrees with cloudy skies. By the time fans leave the arena later Wednesday night, readings may slip into the upper 40s.
Anyone heading downtown may want a jacket, especially with a lingering breeze making it feel a little cooler outside.
After the chilly midweek stretch, temperatures will rebound quickly heading into the weekend.
Looking ahead
Friday evening looks comfortable for the Detroit Tigers’ series opener against the Toronto Blue Jays at Comerica Park.
First-pitch temperatures around 6:45 p.m. should be near 60 degrees under partly cloudy skies.
Saturday may end up being one of the nicest days Metro Detroit has seen in a while. Temperatures are expected to surge into the lower 80s.
Plenty of sunshine and warm conditions should make for ideal baseball weather and a busy day across parks, patios, marinas, and outdoor events across southeast Michigan.
Sunday remains warm, with highs in the upper 70s and approaching 80 degrees, though the atmosphere may become more unsettled later in the day.
Flower Day at Eastern Market in Detroit should still feature decent weather for shoppers and visitors during the morning and early afternoon, but a few showers and isolated thunderstorms could develop later Sunday as moisture increases again across the Great Lakes.
That means people heading to Eastern Market may want to keep an umbrella nearby, especially if spending several hours outdoors later in the day.
Even with the chance of rain, temperatures will remain warm and pleasant for browsing flowers, plants, and outdoor vendors.
The warming trend continues into early next week, with highs climbing into the 80s again on Monday with additional rain chances.
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