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Detroit Tigers infield prospect Hao-Yu Lee is a former international signing from Taiwan who was acquired from the Phillies at last summer's trade deadline. He was swapped for Michael Lorenzen in a one-for-one trade, and so far, it looks like Detroit won that swap. Lee is a very polished hitter who gets good speed and strength behind his swings, works counts effectively, and hits to all parts of the field. There are also some indications that he may have some untapped (sneaky) pop. Finally, he's an above-average defender with good baseball IQ and reaction time. He'll likely play second base long-term, though he's looked solid on the left side of the infield before, too. Last week, Lee went 7-for-18 with two homers, 10 RBI, four walks, and four strikeouts. There aren't too many prospects who can hit for power while maintaining a respectable K/BB rate, but Lee is one of those players. He'll likely make his MLB debut in 2025.
Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Reese Olson received a no-decision Tuesday night after tossing eight shutout innings against the Marlins in a 1-0 loss. The game went scoreless into extra innings, but not before Olson shut down the Marlins for no runs, six strikeouts, no walks, and only three hits allowed. Despite the 0-4 record, the right-hander has been great this season, sporting a 2.09 ERA with a 0.99 WHIP. He's logged six straight starts of allowing two runs or less after giving up six runs in four innings to the Pittsburgh Pirates in early April. Olson's next start comes against the Kansas City Royals. The young pitcher dominated the Royals in his last meeting for seven one-run innings, including eight strikeouts.
Detroit Tigers right-hander Kenta Maeda (illness) is expected to throw a bullpen session on Wednesday. It's good to see that Maeda is feeling better after he was placed on the 15-day injured list last Saturday due to a viral illness. The 36-year-old veteran might need to throw a few bullpen sessions before he's cleared for a short minor-league rehab assignment. Fantasy baseball managers in mixed leagues can probably leave Maeda to the waiver wire, as he started the year 1-1 with a 6.75 ERA (6.53 FIP) and 1.40 WHIP with 10 walks and 23 strikeouts in 30 2/3 innings over seven starts. Maeda typically doesn't overpower hitters but relies on pinpoint control. He has a career 26.4% strikeout rate and has little fantasy upside at this stage of his career.
The Detroit Tigers reinstated infielder Gio Urshela (hamstring) from the 10-day injured list on Tuesday and optioned outfielder Akil Baddoo to Triple-A Toledo after Monday night's game in a corresponding move. Urshela is starting at third base and batting sixth for the Tigers in his first game back on Tuesday against the visiting Miami Marlins and left-hander Ryan Weathers. Urshela has never faced Weathers in his career but was hitting .298/.310/.333 with no homers and six RBI in 57 at-bats before landing on the injured list on April 20 with a strained hamstring. The 32-year-old should return to see most of the playing time at third base in Detroit, making him useful in some deep-mixed leagues. Urshela went 5-for-8 with an RBI and two runs in three minor-league rehab games. He doesn't have a ton of power but makes plenty of contact.
Detroit Tigers infield prospect Hao-Yu Lee posted his first two-home run game of his career in Sunday's victory with five total RBI. In his first 28 games at Double-A, the 21-year-old has a .273/.357/.436 with three long balls and four swiped bags. Last season, Lee spent time in Single and High-A with a cumulative .273/.362/.399 line with six total home runs. Lee is considered the 13th overall prospect in the Tigers system on MLB Pipeline and is projected to make his major league debut in 2025. Dynasty managers should monitor Lee's power output as he approaches Triple-A, especially since he has never tallied more than ten home runs in a single minor league season.