Detroit Tigers have one aggressive move to make with their catchers

The expectations were high when the Detroit Tigers took former Second Team All-Big Ten catcher Dillon Dingler out of Ohio State. This was in the second round of the 2020 MLB First-Year Player Draft. Four years later, we still have not seen Dingler in the bigs. It is not uncommon for a player to take some time to get to MLB, but this should not be one of those situations.

Jake Rogers and Carson Kelly have been, for lack of a better term, "meh" during their year and a half of platooning behind the plate for the Tigers. This season specifically, Rogers has hit only .208 and has seen his power numbers plummet down to only seven home runs, as opposed to his 21 last season. Carson Kelly is hitting slightly better, but .239 still leaves room for improvement. Neither player has an OBP over .320. The team could use more offense at that position.

Typically, fans don't expect a ton of offense from the catching position, but given this level of ineptitude, and neither player having the defensive ability to outweigh their below-average hitting, it's time for something new.

This is where we get back to Dillon Dingler. This year with Toledo, Dingler boasts an impressive .306 average with 16 home runs and 49 RBI. Talk about production! Dingler is 25 years old this season and has spent his time in the minors moving up the road to Detroit, impressing at every level. He has truly taken a massive step forward in Triple-A too. He keeps impressing, and the team keeps leaving him in the rearview mirror.

It is time for the Detroit Tigers to call up Dillon Dingler to start at catcher.

In Dingler's last three games in Toledo, he has hit four home runs, posted back-to-back three-hit games, and logged five RBI, five runs scored, three walks, and just one strikeout. Any baseball fan hearing stats like that would instantly be ready to see that guy in the majors. Dingler's .924 OPS is seventh-best in the International League. Dingler has spoken as to how this season has given him renewed confidence in his swing and overall performance. Dingler did not have a swing change like Colt Keith did earlier this year, but he credits pitch recognition for his recent success.

Not only do the Tigers need help behind the dish, but they have the answer, and the best time to call him up is now while he is hot at the plate. It is important that if they do call up Dingler, the team starts him, and allows him to get regular playing time. There are few things in the game that rightly angers fans more than when a team brings up a prospect without anywhere to give them playing time.

The team still believes in Rogers, and with him being young and showing signs of promise last season, they shouldn't give up on him yet. Kelly, unfortunately, may have to be the odd man out in this situation. He is approaching 30 years old and has never shown prolonged production in his career. He could potentially be sent off at the trade deadline to a contender, and that might be the best-case scenario for Dingler.