Tigers top prospect leaves WBC with injury that will undoubtedly affect his 2026 season

True to form, the Tigers found an internal solution for their longstanding third base issue. After Colt Keith spent a season as a defensive nomad, jumping between various infield positions and DH, he'll get a more permanent home at the hot corner in 2026.

The usual suspects will continue to back him up there — Matt Vierling, Zach McKinstry, maybe Javy Báez — but there might be room Detroit to bring up a top prospect, given all of Vierling, McKinstry, and Báez can be used in the outfield.

Kevin McGonigle is the most obvious candidate, but he looks too good to stick him behind Keith. That leaves Max Anderson and Hao-Yu Lee, who generated a lot of buzz for a call-up in the later months of the 2025 season, when the Tigers' lineup desperately needed a boost.

Both were in spring training with the major league club, but Lee left to join Team Chinese Taipei in Tokyo for World Baseball Classic pool play on Feb. 27.

But he wasn't even able to take the field. On Thursday, ahead of Taiwan's matchup against Team Australia to kick off the tournament, Lee was abruptly removed from the roster, and an MRI revealed an oblique strain. He'll return to Lakeland to undergo further evaluation.

Tigers top prospect Hao-Yu Lee's WBC injury is sure to delay his major league debut

Neither Anderson nor Lee were lighting it up in spring training prior to Lee's departure, but both have established track records in Triple-A, which seemed to give them a leg up over McGonigle going into camp. McGonigle's unsurprising but still thrilling explosion in spring games might force the Tigers to let him skip Toledo — something they never do — but Anderson and Lee still had a decent chance of sneaking onto the roster.

Oblique strains are tricky and timelines are hard to parse, but Lee could be out for up to two months depending on the severity.

Even if he hadn't made the Opening Day roster, his chances of appearing in the majors at some point this season (even if he was traded) seemed high.

He still could, but this injury will almost certainly delay his arrival in the majors, and it'll give Anderson time to establish himself as the clear frontrunner if the Tigers do need an emergency third baseman, or have an extra spot on the roster to give to a top prospect.