Although he has twice blasted 31 home runs at the major league level, Spencer Torkelson has started the new season in a serious slump, costing him an every day place. While the Detroit Tigers have under performed as a whole, the first baseman’s struggles are particularly acute, and the team will be eager to see Torkelson turn a corner.
Tiger’s Spencer Torkelson Slumping In Early Season
Bad Underlying Numbers
Torkelson’s slash line of .179/.329/.553 inspires little confidence, however his underlying metrics show there is little reason to believe it is unfair. His expected batting average is .210 and expected slugging percentage a paltry .347, good for only the 21st and 30th percentiles in baseball.
#4: This nasty front door sweeper from Garrett Crochet to get a whiff from Spencer Torkelson for the K on April 19th. This was one of 8 K’s that Crochet would have on the day.
Velo: 83.6 mph
Vertical Movement: 45.4 in
Horizontal Movement: 22.2 in
Spin Rate: 2,446 pic.twitter.com/9E18FzlQTH
— Charlie Nash (@cnash_baseball) April 20, 2026
Torkelson’s slump has seen him hit just three extra base hits, all doubles, and drive in only six runs through 22 games and 82 plate appearances in 2026. One of his big struggles has been getting squared up, scoring in the 25th percentile in that category. This results in poor marks in barrel rate, average exit velocity, and Torkelson’s old weakness, strikeout rate.
The first baseman’s early season struggles culminate with the -0.4 WAR he’s putting up entering play on April 21st. For context, Spencer Torkelson put up a career-high 2.3 WAR in 2025. Stats from Baseball Savant.
First Base Platoon
Manager AJ Hinch can’t ignore a slump like the one Torkelson is in forever, and over the weekend we saw him take action. After Torkelson put up no hits in Sunday’s game at Fenway Park, Colt Keith lined up at first base in his stead to face right-hander Sonny Gray on Monday.
The manager may have tipped his hand late in the game when he called on Torkelson as a pinch hitter in the 9th to face Aroldis Chapman. Keith has struggled hitting left-handed pitching during his first two seasons in the majors. It would make sense to give Spencer Torkelson starts against left-handed starters, while putting Keith in for right-handers.
Unlike Torkelson, Colt Keith has been seeing the ball very well, and although hasn’t provided the power numbers he’d like, has been a spark on offense. Keith generally doesn’t hold down a regular position, instead plugging in at DH, second and, occasionally, third base. A Platoon situation could help him get regular game time.
However, it would also seriously cut into Torkelson’s plate appearances, though the needs of the team must outweigh those of the individual. Outside of working with the coaches, there is o
ne more potential course of action.
Remedies to Spencer Torkelson Slump
The first baseman also struggled during both the 2024 and 2022 seasons, and the Tigers ultimately sent him down to Triple-A Toledo in each instance. It may be too early to take such action, it is worth remembering that Torkelson has one minor league option remaining.
As with each previous call up, Torkelson is in the midst of a bad slump, and is collecting plenty of strikeouts along the way. In both previous trips to Toledo, Torkelson was able to fix his approach and came back to the big club a player reborn. With the season not even a month old as of the time of writing, there is plenty of time for the player to get right and get back to Detroit.
With Keith, Rookie of the Year hopeful Kevin McGonigle, and Dillon Dingler the only three real bright spots offensively for the Tigers so far, they will hope Torkelson gets out of this slump, and soon. Beyond working through the issue with the help of a platoon, the way forward may be through Toledo.
(Top Image Credit: © Junfu Han /
USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
