The Detroit Tigers have performed better than expected to start the 2024 season, as they sit at the .500 mark. But one Tiger in particular has struggled.
First baseman and former top prospect Spencer Torkelson has struggled, hitting just .201 with four home runs, 18 RBI, and a .596 OPS. As such he was optioned to Triple-A Toledo to work on a few things.
Unfortunately, his power struggles appear to have followed him down to the minors. While it's a small sample size, he hasn't hit a home run yet and also has not recorded an extra-base hit.
Torkelson's power outage continues in Toledo
This is somewhat of a concern for the Tigers. They need Torkelson to rediscover his power stroke and return to their lineup with a vengeance.
He is hitting for a .286 average, which is pretty solid, but the power outage has seemingly continued.
Fortunately though, it's still a small sample size and there is time for him to figure things out. He has only taken seven at-bats in Triple-A Toledo as of now.
Torkelson had a strong 2023 campaign. Though he hit just .233, he crushed 31 home runs and drove in 94 runs while posting a .759 OPS, which was a huge step forward from a disappointing 2022 season.
This season, he has not been able to carry over that success from 2023, which has posed a slight problem for the Tigers.
At .500, the Tigers are 10 games back of first place in a strong American League Central, but they are only 2.5 games back of the Minnesota Twins for the third and final AL Wild Card spot.
Still, if they want to get back into the race in the AL Central or seize a Wild Card spot, they're going to need Torkelson to be at full strength with a rediscovered power stroke. That obviously hasn't come just yet, and he'll be down in Triple-A working on his power stroke until the Tigers see that he is ready to come back to the Major Leagues.
When he's right, Tork can be a force in the Tigers lineup along with Javier Baez, Mark Canha, Kerry Carpenter, and Riley Greene. Time will tell if he is able to rediscover the power that led to his success in 2023.
If the Tigers can get him back, they'll get a big boost in their lineup as they try to get back over the .500 mark.