Should Detroit Tigers let Tarik Skubal pitch deeper into games?
The Days of Roar podcast breaks down the caution around Tarik Skubal’s pitch count, plus thoughts from Justin Verlander on pitching deep into games.
A Detroit Tigers prospect recently suffered a pretty gruesome injury.
Hao-Yu Lee, ranked as the team’s No. 6 prospect according to MLB Pipeline and playing for Triple-A Toledo, took an 89 mph sinker to the face during Toledo’s 5-2 loss to the Columbus Clippers on Wednesday, June 4.
Lee left the game with the help of a trainer. The extent of his injury is not yet known.
The Tigers acquired Lee in a trade for pitcher Michael Lorenzen on Aug. 1, 2023, and the infielder has hit well in the Tigers organization since then. He had an .851 OPS in 386 plate appearances for Double-A Erie in 2024 and is slashing .262/.356/.400 in 225 plate appearances for Toledo in 2025.
Lee is currently the top-rated third base prospect in the Tigers organization according to MLB Pipeline, having split his time this season between second base (24 games), third base (24 games) and designated hitter (three games).
This isn’t the first time Lee has gotten hit in the head while in the Tigers organization. He was hit by a 92 mph fastball while playing with Erie in a game on June 13 against the Altoona Curve, and then again nine days later against the Somerset Patriots on a 95 mph fastball.
Lee is originally from New Taipei, Taiwan, and represented Chinese Taipei in the 2022 Asian Games.
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