Division rival's statement roster move should send a message to Tigers' Spencer Torkelson

Scott Harris was relying on the Detroit Tigers' offense taking a step forward this year, and that has been one of the biggest indictments of the 2026 season. The offense hasn't been able to mask the injuries that have thinned out the Tigers' starting rotation, and Spencer Torkelson has been at the center of that realization.

After he hit 31 home runs last season with a wRC+ of 118, the hope was that Torkelson had taken a step forward and was ready to become the linchpin of the offense. Instead, the 2026 season has resembled the up-and-down nature that has plagued his entire career.

Through his first 188 plate appearances this season, Torkelson has a slash line of .194/.309/.381 with a wRC+ of 96. Since the calendar flipped to May, the struggles have only gotten worse. In his last 68 plate appearances, Torkelson's slash line has dipped to .136/.235/.288 with a wRC+ of 48. In that same stretch, the former first-round pick is striking out over 42% of the time.

The Tigers have tried just about everything to get Torkelson going this season. A.J. Hinch has given him days off in hopes of resetting his approach; he's been moved up and down the lineup, and nothing appears to be working.

What's next for Spencer Torkelson?

For their next move, the Tigers may want to take a page out of the Minnesota Twins' playbook. Royce Lewis' struggles over the last three seasons have been a common storyline for the Twins, and it finally reached the point of return on Tuesday. The Twins optioned Lewis to Triple-A after he slashed .163/.261/.279 with a wRC+ of 55 through 119 plate appearances this season.

Torkelson does have a minor-league option available, and after what the Twins managed to do with their former No. 1 overall pick, it's a conversation that is only going to get louder in Detroit.

At the moment, the move isn't that feasible, considering the Tigers have Gleyber Torres, Javier Baez, and Kerry Carpenter among their position players on the IL. But as the roster starts to get healthy, and Torkelson's spiral presumably continues, the move feels inevitable.

Regardless of pedigree, Torkelson is not giving the Tigers competitive at-bats right now. There's other issues plaguing the Tigers, but this is one they might be able to fix with a demotion. After all, nothing else has worked.

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