Why Detroit Tigers' Zach McKinstry, a Gold Glove finalist, plans to 'live in the weight room'

In August 2022, Zach McKinstry was holding down second base for the Chicago Cubs. He slipped and fell while tracking a fly ball beyond the infield dirt and into the outfield.

"I tore my groin," McKinstry said.

He played through the injury and completed the 2022 season, but he said the ensuing rehabilitation process changed his offseason program and possible contributed to his inconsistency on offense with the Detroit Tigers in 2023. That's why McKinstry — a Gold Glove finalist in the utility category — plans to spend the upcoming offseason in the weight room in preparation for the 2024 campaign.

The groin injury never appeared on any public injury reports. He suffered the injury towards the end of the 2022 season, wasn't placed on the injured list and went into the offseason with physical therapy on his mind.

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McKinstry was back to full health by the time 2023 spring training came around. He had just three hits in 45 plate appearances with the Cubs in spring training.

"Going into that offseason, I had to get that better, and that was my main point, to get my groin right," McKinstry said. "More core stability was thrown out the window, so that's what I'm going to work on (this offseason), getting that core strong and stable. All the rotational power is in the core."

A few days before Opening Day, the Tigers acquired McKinstry — who doesn't have any minor-league options remaining — from the Cubs in exchange for right-hander Carlos Guzman. (Guzman, by the way, posted a 4.67 ERA in 86⅔ innings out of the bullpen for three affiliates with the Cubs in the 2023 season, including 76 innings with Double-A Tennessee.)

The trade to the Tigers opened the door for McKinstry to play almost every day in the big leagues for an entire season, which hadn't happened in the first three seasons of his MLB career with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cubs.

"I definitely needed this year," McKinstry said. "I had a great May. I'm just looking to capitalize on that next year and come in ready to go. I'll fine tune some things and get ready for another 162 games, plus hopefully some more when we make that playoff push."

McKinstry played 148 games for the Tigers, hitting .231 with 21 doubles, four triples, nine home runs, 44 walks (8.5% walk rate) and 113 strikeouts (21.8% strikeout rate). The 28-year-old had a .654 OPS and produced at a below-average rate on offense for most of the season.

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His performance in May: .301 batting average, 20 walks, 15 strikeouts and a .865 OPS over 26 games. His .454 on-base percentage for the month of May ranked fourth in the big leagues, behind only Juan Soto (.482), Aaron Judge (.474) and Freddie Freeman (.462).

"Using the whole field, hitting fastballs the other way, pulling offspeed pitches, getting that swing right," McKinstry said. "I got a lot of work to do this offseason. Hopefully, I can keep that clicking for six months. I know it's a long season with ups and downs, so staying consistent is probably the most important thing."

In the other five months, McKinstry had a .217 batting average with 24 walks, 98 strikeouts and a .607 OPS across 122 games. He had 20 walks in May compared to 24 walks throughout the other five months of the season.

He put the ball in play against fastballs, but breaking balls and offspeed pitches at the bottom of the strike zone and below the strike zone were problem areas.

"Pitch selection is always key with Zach," manager A.J. Hinch said in early September. "When you want to establish yourself as a big leaguer, you want to put up numbers. You put up numbers by swinging the bat and putting the ball in play. If you start expanding the zone, it's virtually chasing your tail if you're not performing, and then you can spiral out of control."

McKinstry never let his offensive struggles, or successes, change the way he played defense.

He worked as an infielder for the first two months, joined the outfield in June, rotated between infield and outfield in July, then went back to the infield for the final two months.

McKinstry handled six different positions, plus one inning as a pitcher, and was named a finalist for the American League Gold Glove Award in the utility category, along with Mauricio Dubón (Houston Astros) and Taylor Walls (Tampa Bay Rays).

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The upcoming offseason, arguably the most important of McKinstry's career, goes back to the groin injury. To stay consistent, McKinstry believes he needs to get stronger in one specific area.

"I'm probably going to live in the weight room," McKinstry said. "I'll try to get my rotational strength a little bit stronger. Hopefully, it can last me a little bit longer throughout the whole season, not just one month, two months or three months. I need to make sure that I'm maintaining rotational power. I kind of lost it a little bit here and there, so I'm trying to focus on that the most."

Remember, McKinstry doesn't have any minor-league options remaining.

Out-of-options players must be designated for assignment, which removes them from the 40-man roster, and pass through waivers — giving the other 29 teams an opportunity to claim them — before being eligible to be sent to the minor leagues.

That means McKinstry needs to make the 2024 Opening Day roster to stay on the Tigers' 40-man roster.

"I definitely needed this year to show me where I'm at and what I need to work on," McKinstry said. "I'm happy that I was able to stay healthy. It was really great to see that my body can withstand 162 games and more. My body feels strong. I'm ready to have a great offseason."

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers' Zach McKinstry plans to 'live in the weight room'