Detroit Tigers rookie first baseman Spencer Torkelson is not in the starting lineup for Monday's series opener against the Boston Red Sox. Harold Castro is taking over first base duties and batting seventh in the game. Torkelson is still searching for his first big league hit. He went 0-for-8 with six strikeouts and three walks over the team's three-game season-opening series against the Chicago White Sox. The 22-year-old is the Tigers' top prospect and he excelled in his first season in the minors last year. Fantasy managers shouldn't overreact to his slow start. Expect to see him back in the lineup on Tuesday.

Detroit Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson will make the Opening Day roster, according to the Detroit Free Press, and will likely assume the starting first base job. Torkelson is the best prospect in the Tigers farm system, as per MLB.com, and has hit .280 with a .406 OBP and .846 OPS in 25 at-bats during Spring Training. There's a lot of hype surrounding the 22-year-old after he was drafted first overall in the 2020 draft and went on to slash .267/.383/.552 with 30 HRs in his 2021 pro debut. Torkelson's ADP is currently 250, but he has a great chance of outplaying his draft cost. Steamer projects the rookie to hit .250 with 27 HRs, four stolen bases, 71 runs, and 75 RBI in 130 games, so fantasy managers who took a shot on him earlier in the draft season should feel like they got a steal.

Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said that top prospects Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene aren't locks to make the team's Opening Day roster. "They still have things to do to make this team. I can't put it any more simply than that," Hinch said. Torkelson, a corner infielder, and Greene, an outfielder, are the Tigers top two prospects, respectively. Torkelson hit eighth in a Grapefruit League game last week and could begin the season in that spot while playing first base. The 22-year-old projects for elite power, but fantasy managers should expect some growing pains in his rookie season. Greene, 21, could become the team's starting center fielder at some point in 2021 if he begins the year in the minor leagues.

According to Detroit Tigers general manager Al Avila, the team's top two prospects, first baseman Spencer Torkelson and outfielder Riley Greene, will not be kept in the minors in order to save money for the franchise. Avila explained that the team will decide its Opening Day roster solely by determining which players help build the best team. He stated, "When, in my opinion, a player is ready to come up and the team is ready to go, there's no reason to hold a player back." Torkelson and Greene both have considerable upside as both fantasy players and real life MLB players. Keep an eye on their progress this spring. If either of them start to excel, then you may want to consider adding them in the late rounds of your draft.

Detroit Tigers third baseman Spencer Torkelson (ankle) is reportedly close to being fully recovered from the ankle injury that cut short his Arizona Fall League season. He is still rehabbing from an ankle injury he suffered in October of last year but is close to 100%. "I'm trying to get back to 100%," said Torkelson. "It's pretty much there, but it's just a matter of playing again." The Tigers top prospect slashed .238/.350/.531 with 11 home runs, 27 RBI, 35 runs scored and a stolen base over 40 games in Triple-A. Torkelson isn't expected to be limited when spring training begins and should debut relatively early in the season.

Detroit Tigers first/third base prospect Spencer Torkelson (ankle) left his Arizona Fall League game early on Wednesday with an ankle sprain, according to a source. Another source said the team's top prospect is expected to miss a "significant amount of time." The 22-year-old was limping slightly back to the dugout after he rolled his ankle sliding back to third base on a pickoff attempt by the catcher. Torkelson is MLB's No. 4 overall prospect after hitting .267/.383/.552 with 30 home runs and 91 RBI in 121 games in the minors this season. He was hitting a cool .450 early on in the Arizona Fall League. The good news is that Torkelson has plenty of time to heal before next season, but there's a good chance that he'll now be shut down for the rest of the AFL schedule this fall.