At this year’s MLB All-Star Game, the Detroit Tigers will have strong representation. Javier Baez, Riley Green, and Gleyber Torres are all starters, while Tarik Skubal could be the AL starting pitcher if New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone elects to go with him.
It’s a strong contingent, and after Major League Baseball’s announcement, that Tigers All-Star Game contingent just got stronger. It was announced that Tigers utility man Zach McKinstry is heading to the All-Star Game as the Tigers’ fifth representative.
Zach McKinstry is heading to the All-Star Game!
He will replace Jeremy Peña on the AL’s active roster. pic.twitter.com/uKOmcKhTqS
— MLB (@MLB) July 9, 2025
McKinstry getting the All-Star game nod is an incredible accomplishment. Similar to Baez, McKinstry didn’t look like a player who’d make an All-Star Game in his career just a year ago.
He hit .215 with a .614 OPS, and was coming off four lackluster at best seasons between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs. But now in 2025, McKinstry is having a career year and is heading to the All-Star game for the first time in his career.
Through the first half of the MLB season, he has 78 hits, 48 runs scored, 12 doubles, eight triples, seven home runs, 27 RBIs, 13 stolen bases, 31 walks, and 70 strikeouts. McKinstry is batting .283 with a .357 on-base percentage and a .460 slugging percentage.
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His .817 OPS is more than .100 points higher than any previous season of his career. It’s been more than just a breakout season for McKinstry, as it’s a redemption from his early career struggles with the Dodgers.
The Tigers’ utility man joins the AL All-Star roster, as he takes Houston Astros’ Jeremy Pena’s spot. Pena is out with an injury, creating a spot for the Tigers veteran to get his first shot at the All-Star game.
At 30 years old, he is making his first All-Star game, and he gets to go with four of his teammates. It’s an incredible feat for McKinstry, as he bounces back from his early-career struggles.
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