AJ Hinch gives potentially disastrous Colt Keith update after early exit vs. Guardians

The big story from the Tigers' Thursday loss to the Guardians was that their once-15.5-game division lead has shrunk down to almost nothing, but buried within that misery was perhaps the most poorly-timed injury of Detroit's season.

After Parker Meadows lined out to end the second inning, Colt Keith walked back to the dugout from third base holding his lower back in visible discomfort. FanDuel Sports Network cameras caught him speaking only very briefly with AJ Hinch while he put his helmet away, and then immediately going down into the tunnel. Trey Sweeney replaced him in the lineup and Zach McKinstry shifted over to third.

The Tigers provided an in-game update of lower back tightness and, of course, Hinch was asked about it after the loss. He said, of Keith's insistence on being taken out,"That, in itself, is pretty alarming. It's very concerning this time of year, especially when he was that passionate about something going on in his back, side, rib region. I don't know what happened."

The team will send Keith in for imaging, but even if he needs a minimum 10-day IL stint, he won't be back for the rest of the Tigers' regular season.

AJ Hinch describes Colt Keith's back issue as "very concerning" after exit in Tigers-Guardians finale

Keith gave the Tigers their only run of the afternoon on a RBI double in the second. The broadcast showed a replay of Keith gunning to second, and he didn't appear to be in any discomfort then, but he also moved to third on a Dillon Dingler fielder's choice, so something could've happened within those 90 feet.

He's been one of the Tigers' most consistent bats as of late. His slugging's down, but he has a .316 average and .409 OBP through his last seven games. He's also taken up mostly permanent residence at third, where his defense hasn't been outstanding, but has been more than enough to tide the Tigers over until the offseason.

With nine games to go and only a 3.5-game lead over the Guardians after this most recent sweep, the Tigers can't afford to lose Keith's consistency from the lineup, but it seems like that's exactly where this is headed. At the very least, it's unlikely he'll be available for the Tigers' series opener against the Braves.

Nothing's going right for this Tigers team right now, and losing Keith feels like just another nail in the coffin.