Tigers Breakout Star Catcher Is Here To Stay Following Incredible Start

Coming into the year, the Detroit Tigers seemed to have their catcher position locked up.

Jake Rogers played 92 games behind the plate in 2024 during the regular season with 86 of them being starts. He also played every single inning in the playoffs.

When he went down with an oblique injury in April, there was some concern about how that would impact the team, not necessarily from an offensive standpoint, but how the pitching staff would be affected.

The Tigers turned things over to Dillon Dingler, and they have not missed a beat.

That's because Dingler has become a breakout star, taking over the starting catcher position and relegating Rogers to the backup role even after he came back from the injury.

The former 2020 second-round pick has been excellent in both phases of the game, slashing .299/.329/.459 with five homers, 22 RBI and an OPS+ that's 22 points above the league average while also ranking in the 100th percentile in blocks above average and 91st in framing.

What's hard to measure is how catchers call games, and that's something Tarik Skubal highlighted following his latest start with Dingler behind the dish.

"Ding called a great game," Skubal said, per Chris McCosky of The Detroit News (subscription required) following his seven inning, two-hit scoreless outing on Saturday. "We were on the same page all day. Great target. Great feel for mixing in some bigger spin in certain counts."

All of a sudden, catcher is a major strength for Detroit.

Rogers has been accepting of his secondary role, but whenever he is cycled in, there won't be a drop off when it comes to his defense or putting together a gameplan.

As for Dingler, he looks like a complete player, giving the Tigers more offensive upside while also giving them strong defense and the ability to call great games behind the plate.

Manager A.J. Hinch has been impressed by the 26-year-old, and he thinks this output is here to stay.

"I think this is who he is. He's done this now for a long time. He finds a way to contribute on both sides of the ball. He's a really good catcher," the skipper said.