Detroit Tigers vs Kansas City Royals Starting Lineup — Sunday, Aug 23, 2026
Starting Lineups
Detroit Tigers @ Kansas City Royals · Sunday, Aug 23, 2026
Daniel Lynch IV faces several hitters with previous experience against him, led by Javier Báez, who has dominated the matchup going 4-for-10 in 11 PA with a .400 AVG and a 1.255 OPS. Spencer Torkelson brings the most extensive history, recording a .222 AVG and a .778 OPS while going 4-for-18 across 18 plate appearances. Kevin McGonigle is 0-for-1 in 2 PA with a .500 OPS, while Gleyber Torres is hitless at 0-for-2 with a .000 OPS. Hao-Yu Lee, Eduardo Valencia, Corey Julks, Ben Malgeri, and Max Clark have no prior MLB history against Lynch.
Jacob Waguespack encounters a lineup with very limited collective exposure. Nick Loftin has capitalized on his lone opportunity, going 1-for-1 with a 1.000 AVG and a 5.000 OPS. Salvador Perez is hitless at 0-for-2 with a .000 OPS, while Vinnie Pasquantino and Isaac Collins are each 0-for-1 with a .000 OPS in their single plate appearances. Bobby Witt Jr., John Rave, Tyler Tolbert, Luke Maile, and Kyle Isbel have no prior MLB history facing Waguespack.
The visiting hitters bring significantly more experience and sustained success into this matchup, primarily anchored by the double-digit plate appearances logged by Báez and Torkelson against Lynch.
| # | Batter | AVG | OBP | OPS | HR | RBI | vAVG | vOPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gleyber Torres | 0.262 | 0.371 | 0.758 | 8 | 34 | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| 2 | Hao-Yu Lee | 0.278 | 0.319 | 0.754 | 7 | 31 | — | — |
| 3 | Kevin McGonigle | 0.281 | 0.383 | 0.804 | 13 | 53 | 0.000 | 0.500 |
| 4 | Eduardo Valencia | 0.344 | 0.365 | 1.103 | 6 | 17 | — | — |
| 5 | Spencer Torkelson | 0.222 | 0.315 | 0.722 | 20 | 63 | 0.222 | 0.778 |
| 6 | Corey Julks | 0.250 | 0.250 | 0.750 | 0 | 0 | — | — |
| 7 | Ben Malgeri | 0.250 | 0.370 | 0.803 | 3 | 10 | — | — |
| 8 | Max Clark | 0.250 | 0.305 | 0.687 | 1 | 9 | — | — |
| 9 | Javier Báez | 0.255 | 0.284 | 0.639 | 2 | 14 | 0.400 | 1.255 |
| # | Batter | AVG | OBP | OPS | HR | RBI | vAVG | vOPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nick Loftin | 0.230 | 0.325 | 0.696 | 5 | 36 | 1.000 | 5.000 |
| 2 | Bobby Witt Jr. | 0.288 | 0.362 | 0.823 | 16 | 48 | — | — |
| 3 | Vinnie Pasquantino | 0.244 | 0.328 | 0.706 | 8 | 37 | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| 4 | Salvador Perez | 0.220 | 0.265 | 0.638 | 17 | 57 | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| 5 | Isaac Collins | 0.227 | 0.328 | 0.676 | 6 | 38 | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| 6 | John Rave | 0.194 | 0.254 | 0.657 | 2 | 5 | — | — |
| 7 | Tyler Tolbert | 0.294 | 0.360 | 0.791 | 3 | 8 | — | — |
| 8 | Luke Maile | 0.200 | 0.231 | 0.591 | 1 | 5 | — | — |
| 9 | Kyle Isbel | 0.236 | 0.284 | 0.652 | 6 | 20 | — | — |