Tigers fans can't handle AJ Hinch's treatment of Colt Keith so far in 2026

Colt Keith has orchestrated a remarkable redemption for himself in the eyes of Tigers fans. To be fair, criticism was sometimes overblown, but his six-year, $28.6 million deal came with high expectations.

That amount of money looks completely negligible given the current landscape of money in baseball — the Tigers one-up themselves by over five times that amount with their Kevin McGonigle extension — but for a few years, Keith was the Tigers' only contracted position player other than Javy Báez.

Usually a slow starter, Keith got off to a scorching start in 2026, going 10-for-18 in his first five games. He's leveled out a bit since then, but he was also the hero of last week's incredible comeback against the Royals. His RBI single in the bottom of the ninth was the first walk-off hit of his career.

These days, if AJ Hinch leaves Keith out of a lineup, the Tigers' replies are flooded. Take Sunday's game against the Red Sox, for example. With lefty Garrett Crochet on the mound, AJ Hinch sat lefties Keith, McGonigle, and Kerry Carpenter. The outrage was like clockwork.

Tigers fans are getting worked up every time Colt Keith is left out of a lineup

Spoiler alert: the Tigers won that game (and the Twitter admin reposted the lineup with a golden shot at fans who had overreacted: "there is still time to delete your reply").

On one hand, we get it. Fans have disagreed with Hinch's matchup-based managing since he took over as Tigers skipper, and they will continue to disagree. Keith is tied with Dillon Dingler and Spencer Torkelson for the fourth-most at-bats of Tigers hitters this year, but he's hitting far better than Riley Greene (third place) and Gleyber Torres (first).

Sometimes Hinch is wrong, but more often than not ... he's right. Keith's career splits leave a lot to be desired against lefty pitchers, and the three plate appearances he's gotten against lefties this year have only served to confirm Hinch's thinking. He's 0-for-3 with no walks.

It's easy to play armchair manager, but maybe a Manager of the Year finalist knows better? Just maybe?

Keith has still been on of the vast majority of Tigers starting lineups so far this year, and he will continue to be. Even if he doesn't start, he'll probably come in as a pinch-hitter when the opportunity arises. That's just how Hinch and the Tigers play baseball.

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