Tigers prospect with Riley Greene connection could soon make MLB debut

Tigers prospect with Riley Greene connection could soon make MLB debut originally appeared on The Sporting News

The Detroit Tigers are sitting atop the AL Central, and despite some doom and gloom from July and the beginning of August, they have won 12 of their last 18, and look to be strong contenders like they always have been.

But, there are still ways to improve the roster, and the most obvious area that could be addressed by the end of the year is at third base. As Evan Petzold of The Detroit Free Press identified, one Tigers prospect could get the call-up to the Majors "soon."

"Detroit Tigers prospect Hao-Yu Lee is coming soon." Petzold writes. "There isn't a timetable, but the 22-year-old infielder - acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2023 Michael Lorenzen trade - could be promoted for his MLB debut at some point in the final 45 days of the 2025 season."

Lee has been in Triple-A the entire 2025 season, and he's been a solid hitter. He's hitting .230 on the year with 12 home runs, 15 doubles, seven triples, 45 RBIs, 87 hits, 64 runs scored, and .738 OPS in 98 games.

The Tigers' seventh-ranked prospect has been decent in the minors this season, even if he took a step back from his 2024 production at Double-A. With the Tigers potentially calling Lee up in the final month and a half of the 2025 season, the connection he has with Tigers All-Star Riley Greene is noteworthy.

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"All I talked about was mental with him," Greene said of Lee, "Really, it's just having the confidence every time. We're going to go through ups and downs, and we're going to go through more downs than ups, and it's staying confident knowing that you're going to get through it. You're going to get that one hit that gets you out of it. Confidence is key in this game."

The message Greene sent to Lee was clear: have confidence in yourself. Greene is going through a slump in the Majors, along with a slump in his journey through the minors.

But, despite the struggles, Greene is still confident in himself, and that's the message he relayed to Tigers prospect Hao-Yu Lee. The third base/second base prospect is poised to make his MLB debut later in 2025, and Greene's message could help him stick the landing.

With the postseason just around the corner and expanded rosters beginning in September, the Tigers could get a good look at Lee, who could factor into the team's postseason run this October if he impresses in his stint later in 2025.

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