With the Detroit Tigers dropping an eye-watering 16 of 19 games entering play on Wednesday May 27, many fans are wondering when they will see prospects such as Max Anderson and Max Clark in Motown. Center fielder Clark has been getting the majority of the headlines at Triple-A Toledo, and rightly so, but the infielder Anderson has been quietly putting together a very solid season. Veteran Gleyber Torres is still on the injured list, which creates space for Max Anderson. However, would calling him up be the prudent thing to do?
When Will Tigers Fans See Max Anderson?
With Detroit reeling from injuries to both pitchers and position players, perhaps their losing streak isn’t surprising. As of the time of writing, all of Torres, Javier Baez, Parker Meadows, Tarik Skubal, and Kerry Carpenter are all out injured. There is an argument that the league hasn’t seen the best Tigers team take the field all season. With so many players coming back in the coming weeks, Detroit likely feels that their season is far from over. Let’s not forget that a year ago this Tigers team held the best record in MLB and were only undone by a late-season collapse.
Additionally, the American League is weak again in 2026. None of the Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox, or Toronto Blue Jays have really gotten going yet and there are questions about how sustainable the success of the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cleveland Guardians actually is. Scott Harris and company will likely want to see how the team performs once a few faces come back from injury before sticking a fork in this season. There is also the question of how much game time Max Anderson would actually get if called up.
As stated, Gleyber Torres is out injured so the team is without its usual second baseman. A combination of Colt Keith and Zach McKinstry have been getting most of the reps at second, with the two alternating with Kevin McGonigle at the hot corner. These are the two positions that Max Anderson can mainly play, so the team already has enough bodies to man the infield. So, who would sit if the Tigers call up Max Anderson? That question will be especially pertinent once Torres returns.
More Time in Minors Likely
Anderson owns a .338/.357/.477 slash line with the Toledo Mud Hens in 2026. He entered 2025 on the big club’s radar but saw his stock rise throughout a breakout campaign in the minor leagues. Both McGonigle and Clark got most of the headlines last season and into this, allowing Anderson to quietly develop into the team’s number four prospect. He is more than just a contact bat, as Max Anderson has tallied 13 RBIs through 16 games with Toledo, and even knocked two home runs. Anderson’s best game came on May 12 when he collected five hits.
Max Anderson continued to play well in Triple A pic.twitter.com/axjhhih2e3
— SleeperTigers (@SleeperTigers) May 26, 2026
While all of this is impressive, Max Anderson remains an unknown quantity at the big league level. McGonigle is competing for rookie of the year honors, and Colt Keith has been hitting the ball better than in recent seasons. Torres is also the team’s on base machine and will presumably slot right back into the lineup once he recovers. Unless the wheels continue to fall off of the Detroit Tigers season, it seems unlikely that they will call up Anderson.
More time at triple-A will give Anderson more time to continue to develop his blossoming power, and to gain a better understanding of the strike zone. Additionally, the time is not right for the team to commit to building towards 2027, although the mammoth losing streak may eventually force the team’s hand.
Main Image Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images
