The 21-year-old shortstop will start when the Tigers open their season on Thursday against the San Diego Padres.
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“He’ll play the left side of the infield,” Tigers manager AJ Hinch said, via MLB.com. “We’ve worked him there all spring, so I don’t think you’ll see him at second base. He’ll be at both short and third base. I need to get into the lineup for Opening Day, which means I need to have some conversations about how I’m going to line him up over the next 24 hours, but Kevin will be in the lineup.”
As he prepared for the 2026 season, McGonigle impressed at the plate and in the field during spring training. In 52 plate appearances, he hit .250/.423/.500 with two home runs and six RBIs.
“He continued to demonstrate his ability to handle the moment, and he had many moments during camp where he was tested,” Hinch said. “The quality of the at-bat was as advertised. I thought his defense was really impressive with the details of his first step, his pre-pitch and completing plays. He never seemed uncomfortable all spring, although he’ll tell you there were some stressful moments. And he should be nervous: He’s 21 years old and he’s never played with so much attention on him.”
The Tigers haven’t seen a player as young as McGonigle in their Opening Day lineup since Omar Infante in 2003, who was 21 years old at the time.
Selected 37th overall in the 2023 MLB Draft, McGonigle signed with the Tigers and played most of his first professional season in Single-A. He landed in Double-A last summer and will make his Major League debut without having played a game in Triple-A.
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McGonigle, who was named Arizona Fall League MVP in November, will be the first homegrown Tigers talent to skip Triple-A for the Majors since Steven Moya in 2014.