DETROIT -- The Tigers continued their midsummer surge Wednesday, but they potentially lost one of their key parts. All-Star catcher Dillon Dingler left Wednesday’s 6-1 win over the Athletics after taking a foul tip off his right hand.
Initial X-rays were negative for structural damage, manager A.J. Hinch said after the game, but the Tigers will wait for further examination Thursday before deciding how to proceed.
Dingler, selected to his first All-Star Game as a reserve by player vote, had his throwing hand on his right knee as Troy Melton’s 95 mph fastball hit off Jacob Wilson’s bat. The ball seemed to hit the base of the thumb, the seams of the ball leaving a mark as Dingler shook his hand in pain. Hinch and head athletic trainer Ryne Eubanks checked on Dingler, who stayed in the game after a couple of warm-up tosses to third baseman Kevin McGonigle.
By the next inning, however, the area had already swollen enough to become a bigger problem.
“He wanted to continue,” Hinch said, “threw a couple [warm-up throws], didn’t feel like he had a great grip but could continue. Came in the dugout, and it started to swell up a little bit, so we sent him for X-rays.”
Jake Rogers began preparing to pinch-hit for Dingler when the inning began. He slugged a two-run home run off lefty Jeffrey Springs before taking Dingler’s place behind the plate to catch Melton.
“[Pitching coach Chris Fetter] did a really good job of seeking me out and throwing me into a crash course of Melton’s plan,” Rogers said. “Obviously, I’ve caught Melton 100 times, and at the end of the day, you have to resort to his strengths. But I think you have to be ready for anything, and I think that proves you have to do your homework before the series. I was not in the meeting today with Melt and Ding and Fett, but just doing a little homework on these guys against right-handed hitters before the series.”
Any time lost for Dingler would be potentially devastating for the Tigers, who entered Wednesday having won six of seven to climb back toward postseason contention. Dingler entered Wednesday tied for seventh in the Majors with a 3.9 fWAR, and he is just the third Tiger in the last 26 years to post 19 home runs and 60 RBIs before the All-Star break. His RBI total ranked fourth among American League hitters entering play Wednesday.
That said, the Tigers have a capable fill-in with Rogers, the Tigers’ primary catcher for two seasons before an oblique injury opened the door for Dingler last season. Rogers hit 21 homers in 2023, and he has been working on his swing to get his timing back in recent weeks while Dingler has earned the majority of playing time.
“Guiding this staff today, I thought Jake did a great job of jumping in,” Hinch said. “His calm, his demeanor, it’s perfectly suited for random things that come up during the game. His blood pressure and his stress level don’t really elevate ever, so a lot of trust in him, but I thought he had a great game on both sides.”
The Tigers also have two capable options at Triple-A Toledo, both right-handed hitters, if they need to make a move. Veteran Tomás Nido played in 10 games for Detroit last season while Rogers was sidelined with the oblique strain. He has caught several Tigers pitchers during rehab assignments with the Mud Hens while splitting time with No. 21 prospect Eduardo Valencia.
The 26-year-old Valencia is a more offensive option, slugging his way onto the 40-man roster with a 24-homer, 95-RBI season last year between Toledo and Double-A Erie. His numbers have dropped off slightly this year, but he has been red-hot since June, bringing his season totals to 16 homers, 48 RBIs and an .838 OPS while bouncing between catcher and first base.