Tigers' Zach McKinstry is an unlikely, but also well-deserved, All-Star

New York Times

10-07-2025

DETROIT — Nope, he didn't think this would happen. Not three years ago, when he was buried on the bench with the Dodgers, not back when he was getting cut from the Cubs, not last year when he was clinging to his Tigers roster spot for dear life.
Zach McKinstry has always been self-aware. Aware of the fact he was a 33rd-round draft pick out of Central Michigan, which before now had only produced one other MLB All-Star (outfielder Tom Tresh, who represented the Yankees in 1962 and 1963).
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He's aware of the fact he's now 30, a scrappy super-utility player, the type of guy who can make a roster function but rarely gets the acclaim.
But look at the numbers on the scoreboard, and it is difficult to dismiss Zach McKinstry's case for an All-Star nod. He is hitting .286 with an .826 OPS. He already has eight triples, the most by a Tiger at the break since Curtis Granderson finished the year with a ridiculous 23 in 2007. McKinstry entered Wednesday at 2.8 fWAR, ranking 11th among all American League position players.
He's been a dynamic chess piece who has played every position except for catcher in the major leagues. Next week, he plans on bringing his infield and outfield gloves to the All-Star Game.
🖐️ pic.twitter.com/a1F1NPCzcK
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) July 9, 2025
The Tigers first learned the news Tuesday evening. Manager A.J. Hinch called McKinstry into his office. President of baseball operations Scott Harris, the man who brought McKinstry to the Tigers, was there. So were the four other Tigers — Tarik Skubal, Javier Báez, Riley Greene and Gleyber Torres — who are headed to Atlanta next week.
Hinch looked at McKinstry.
'All the players here are All-Stars,' he said.
Wednesday at Comerica Park, the Tigers flashed his picture on the video board and officially announced that McKinstry had been selected to replace Houston shortstop Jeremy Peña on the AL All-Star team. McKinstry had just botched a rundown, a rare mistake. He made up for it three innings later, in typical McKinstry fashion, by slapping a hard double down the right-field line to bring in a run and tie the score. In his next trip to the plate, he poked another ball into right field, wheeled around first and stretched a single into a double.
That is what McKinstry has done all season. At the plate, in the field, on the bases. He's scored on a wild pitch in the ninth, made plays from third base and right field and everywhere in between. He's hitting like never before in his career. A player who batted only .133 in sparse chances against left-handed pitchers last season has become an everyday option in Hinch's constantly shifting lineups, this season posting a .949 OPS in left-on-left plate appearances.
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Although it might be difficult to find a grand explanation for what has made all this click, it is easy to find new validation in the Tigers' decision to trade for McKinstry before the 2023 season, to endure the valleys that had fans and critics clamoring for his roster spot over the previous two seasons.
McKinstry has credited his faith, a renewed focus that has taken the burdens of stress off his shoulders. In April, he won an award from the MLBPA for his service off the field.
As more success suddenly comes his way, McKinstry has remained the same, friendly and chuckling at his locker, dirtying his jersey and pestering opponents on the field.
'I don't know,' McKinstry said Wednesday night, asked if the reality of being an All-Star had hit him yet. 'That's a great question.'
When he arrives in Atlanta next week, perhaps the reality will set in.
McKinstry's selection is another reflection of what makes the Tigers tick. Skubal and Greene are bona fide stars. But Báez is an unprecedented bounceback story, from futility to pure fun. Torres has been to two previous All-Star games but came to the Tigers on a one-year deal this winter, betting on himself after practically being cast away from the Yankees. He's turned this stop into a revitalization, posting a career-best .384 on-base percentage and 131 wRC+ so far.
McKinstry, too, has been the most unlikely of All-Stars, not just validating his roster spot but becoming a fixture in the top half of the Tigers' order.
Not just doing everything, but doing everything remarkably well.
'He's understated, and because he's playing somewhere different every day, you get lost a bit in, 'What does he bring to the table?'' Hinch said.
Hinch's answer?
'Everything.'
Wednesday, before the news was official, the rest of McKinstry's teammates had learned of his selection. He walked into the clubhouse to a raucous ovation.
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'All of his ups and downs, teams he's been on, he's definitely a grinder,' Tigers catcher Jake Rogers said. 'It's pretty cool to see a guy like that do so well at all positions around the field.'
As his teammates cheered, Rogers walked over and hugged McKinstry.
'There's no one more deserving,' he said.