'Just super cool': Tigers' Zach McKinstry added to American League All-Star team

Chris McCosky, The Detroit News on Jul 9, 2025

Published in Baseball

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DETROIT — The amazing part of the whole thing was somehow, Zach McKinstry and the Tigers were able to keep the big news a secret for nearly 24 hours.

"Yeah, I had to kind of avoid the media," said McKinstry, who got the news Tuesday night.

The news was officially released, posted on the big scoreboard at Comerica Park during the first inning of the Tigers' 7-3 loss to the Rays Wednesday: McKinstry, the former 33rd-round pick from Central Michigan University, traded away by two different organizations, was named to the American League All-Star team.

He will replace Houston's Jeremy Pena and join four other Tigers' teammates in Atlanta for the game on Tuesday.

"Just super cool," McKinstry said.

Manager AJ Hinch brought McKinstry into his office after the game Tuesday night. He also brought team president Scott Harris, coaches George Lombard and Joey Cora as well as the four other All Stars: Riley Greene, Javier Báez and Gleyber Torres, all of whom will start the game, and pitcher Tarik Skubal.

In past years, getting called into the manager's office hasn't always been pleasant for McKinstry. He knew right away this was different.

"When I looked around the room, I kind of felt it was coming," he said. "It was a cool moment to have those guys in there with me. AJ just said all the players in here are All-Stars. That was cool."

McKinstry just missed getting in on the fan ballot. He finished third at third base to Alex Bregman and Jose Ramirez. Both have pulled out of the game.

"We brought him into the office and just talked about his journey," Hinch said. "Everybody is just so proud of him. A lot of guys got a chance to be in that moment. It was a cool moment to share with Z-Mac.

"It's very rewarding for me as a manager, but it's more important for Z-Mac now to be a player among the elite."

McKinstry, the Tigers' do-it-all utility player, has been worth 2.5 wins above replacement for the Tigers, hitting .283 with a .357 on-base average, a .420 slugging percentage and a 129 OPS-plus. He got two doubles in the game Wednesday.

"When we found out, the whole room erupted," catcher Jake Rogers said. "Honestly, I couldn't think of a human more deserving. Through all of his ups and down and where he's been, he's a grinder and it's cool to see a guy like that do so well at all the positions he plays around the field.

"That's what I told him. I gave him a big hug and said there's no one more deserving."

The five players are the most the Tigers have sent to the All-Star Game since 2013, when they sent six.

"I'm just going to go out there and play the game," McKinstry said. "We compete against those guys every day. I know this will be a little different but I am super excited to get out there and get my feet wet."