Tigers second baseman departed yesterdays game after injuring his shoulder on a diving play. , the 23-year-old initially stayed in the game after the incident but took himself out later on after he realized he couldnt throw at full strength. Keith will be sent for testing by the Tigers but the club is hopeful the injury wont prove to be significant. As noted by , Keith suffered an injury to the same shoulder as a prospect back in 2022 that limited him to 48 games that year, though the rookie told reporters after the game that yesterdays i sue felt different than his old shoulder ailment. An absence of virtually any length could have a significant impact on the AL playoff picture with just over a week remaining in the regular season and Detroit just 1.5 games behind the Twins for the final AL Wild Card spot. Keith, who signed a with the Tigers over the offseason that guaranteed him just over $28.5MM over six years, struggled early in his MLB career but has really turned things around in recent months, with a solid .293/.340/.444 slash line in his 403 trips to the plate thats brought his full-season offensive performance to e sentially league average (99 wRC+). Utilityman , who has hit just .224/.284/.352 in 109 games with the club this year Lucas Carlsson Jersey , would presumably see an uptick in playing time in the event that Keith mi ses any time or heads to the injured list. Top prospect is another option. Hes played third base exclusively since being brought up to the majors but has spent more time at second base in his minor league career. Jung is out to a .214/.337/.257 start through his first 83 MLB plate appearances, but he turned in a more impre sive .257/.377/.454 slash in Triple-A prior to his promotion. Both Keith and Jung have split their profe sional playing careers between second base and third base, with a bit more of an emphasis on the former. Theres potential for Jung to cement himself as the teams everyday third baseman now that Keith increasingly looks to be the long-term second baseman, but Jung is still adapting at third base after spending his college career at second base. that Jung may not end up as a fixture at the hot corner, in part because the Tigers stand as a viable fit for free agent third baseman , who obviously has longstanding ties to Detroit skipper (and former Astros manager) AJ Hinch. That scenario is framed in speculative fashion, to be clear. Conceptually, however, its sensible for the Tigers to consider premium free-agent additions and to be willing to move from the top tiers of their farm system. The team only has likely Cy Young winner under club control through 2026, and while an extension is always po sible, those chances are le sened given that hes represented by the Boras Corporation. There will surely be efforts to keep Skubal, be they via extension or free agency, but the two remaining years he has with the team do create something of a window. Skubal headlines a growing core that also includes , , , and the aforementioned Keith, among others. Theyre still hopeful of getting meaningful contributions from former No. 1 picks and , but neither has lived up to expectations thus far (though Torkelson has been productive since returning from Triple-A, hitting .267/.330/.448 albeit with a 32% strikeout rate and .375 BABIP). Jung and young could both be prominent players, and Detroit has two of the games top overall prospects in outfielder and right-hander . Its hard to imagine Clark or Jobe on the table in offseason trade talks, but the Tigers have surged into the postseason picture and figure to have a relatively aggre sive offseason in store whether they reach the playoffs or narrowly mi s. But with room for additions at third base, on the pitching staff (rotation and bullpen) and perhaps another corner bat in the first base/outfield/designated hitter mold, the Tigers have myriad paths to bolstering the roster, any number of which could be accomplished via trading from their non-Clark/Jobe prospect depth. In terms of payroll capacity, while the contract looms large as an albatro s, he and Keith are the only players signed to guaranteed contracts beyond the 2025 season. Theres considerable room for the Tigers to make a splash or two if not from the top tier of available names then certainly in the three- or four-year range for mid-market free agents. Shakir Mukhamadullin Jersey