The Detroit Tigers have some exciting pieces in their farm system. They now have two prospects ranked within the top 10, being Kevin McGonigle and Max Clark; however, neither is expected to be a part of the September call-ups.
There is no denying that Detroit could use some help to close out its regular season on top. They have multiple sluggers on the IL, including Matt Vierling and Parker Meadows, as well as pitchers like Paul Sewald, Alex Cobb, and Jose Urquidy.
To help stabilize the infield depth, ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel predicts that Hao-Yu Lee will be the one to get called up. With experience at second base and third base, the young slugger is currently ranked as the club’s No. 7 prospect.
He has played 105 games at the Triple-A level this season, hitting /.243/.347/.409 with 18 doubles, seven triples, 12 home runs, 49 runs batted in, and 20 stolen bases. If Lee were to be promoted and see the field, it would make for his MLB debut.
Tigers must call Hao-Yu Lee up to save him from the Rule 5 Draft
There is one true reason that McDaniel urges Detroit to call up Lee, and that is to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. Signing his professional contract in 2021 under the age of 18, if he is not on the club’s 40-man roster, the Tigers could lose him.
“Lee is in Triple-A and needs to be added to the 40-man roster this winter, so he could get a September look,” said McDaniel.
Even if Lee is not at the same level as somebody like Kevin McGonigle or Max Clark, Detroit will not want to lose a top 10 prospect in their organization. It makes a lot of sense to call Lee up within the next few days, and it will be something that fans will want to keep their eye on.
