SEATTLE -- Colt Keith is back, and just in time to give the Tigers some offensive punch.
The lefty-swinging infielder, who ended the regular season on the injured list with right rib cage inflammation, has been added to Detroit’s roster for the American League Division Series against the Mariners. He was in the starting lineup at designated hitter for Game 1 on Saturday.
Keith’s return follows an encouraging session of live batting practice on Friday at T-Mobile Park against Tigers pitchers Chris Paddack and Paul Sewald, neither of whom are active for this series. While Keith isn’t pain free, his dull soreness has subsided enough to allow him to hit.
"We're trying to get that down and go from there,” Keith said, “because I think the thing I can do to help this team is with my swing.”
Keith spent the week with the team in Cleveland during its Wild Card Series doing pregame workouts, steadily progressing to more activity and more intensity each day. Friday was his first simulation of game activity, as the Tigers tried to ramp him up without the benefit of a Minor League rehab assignment.
"He swung and made contact. He had a couple check swings. He swung and missed,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. "All the things that give us a lot of confidence that he can give us as many at-bats as possible.”
Getting Keith back in even a limited capacity is big. His left-handed impact bat presents the threat for favorable matchups against Seattle’s righty-heavy pitching staff. The Tigers' primary lineup against Cleveland’s right-handed starters in the Wild Card Series left shortstop Trey Sweeney as their lone lefty hitter on the bench; Sweeney, who batted .196 for Detroit in the regular season, went unused in the series.
Keith had a regular-season slash line of .256/.333/.413 with 22 doubles, 13 home runs, 45 RBIs and a 107 OPS+ in 137 games. He was just heating up when he felt a tweak in his rib cage running the bases on Sept. 18 against the Guardians at Comerica Park. He went on the injured list the next day.
"We'll be somewhat conservative with the defense, just given all the different plays and angles and stress we can put on him,” Hinch said. "But he demonstrated that he can put together a competitive at-bat, good swings.”
Keith replaces Justyn-Henry Malloy on the Division Series roster, a reflection of the reduced need for extra right-handed hitters against a Mariners pitching staff that has fewer lefties than Cleveland did for the Wild Card Series.
The Tigers also swapped relievers, adding right-handed sinkerballer Brenan Hanifee and dropping Sewald.
Here’s the Tigers’ full Division Series roster:
Catchers (2): Dillon Dingler, Jake Rogers
Infielders (7): Spencer Torkelson, Gleyber Torres, Javier Báez, Zach McKinstry, Colt Keith, Andy Ibáñez, Trey Sweeney
Outfielders (5): Kerry Carpenter, Riley Greene, Parker Meadows, Wenceel Pérez, Jahmai Jones
Starting pitchers (4): Troy Melton, Tarik Skubal, Casey Mize, Jack Flaherty
Relief pitchers (8): Kyle Finnegan, Brenan Hanifee, Tyler Holton, Brant Hurter, Tommy Kahnle, Keider Montero, Rafael Montero, Will Vest