Depth Chart

Dirks, who is batting .245 on the season, has hit in all but two games he's played in June. He's gone 10 for 42 (.238) during the month, however, with four RBI and six strikeouts. 

Pena will hit eighth for the Tigers Tuesday against the Orioles. Pena is hitting .283/.309/.391 in 92 at-bats. He'll take on Zach Britton. 

Porcello was in cruise control until the Orioles broke open the game with a six-run fourth inning. Chris Davis started the onslaught with a two-run homer and Taylor Teagarden followed up four batters later with a three-run homer. The right-hander didn't issue a walk and struck out four, while losing for the second time in four starts.

Porcello will look to get back into the win column Tuesday against the Angels. Porcello had a disastrous start against Los Angeles April 20, allowing nine runs on nine hits and one walk in two-thirds inning.

Avila was placed on the disabled list with a deep forearm contusion after being hit by a pitch. Avila didn't think he broke any bones, but said it was "probably the most pain I’ve felt on the field before." The following day, Avila admitted the injury was still "pretty sore, pretty painful."

Avila is hitting .172/.271/.288 in 163 at-bats. 

For now, however, Detroit is very happy with the production Smyly is giving them out of the bullpen.

"To be honest with you," said manager Jim Leyland, "this is a kind of nice year for Smyly. He’s getting another year under his belt without a lot of pressure. It hasn’t been perfect, by any means, but I think it’s been pretty good."

Benoit's 1.80 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings this year are nothing new. He has long had the stuff to close but hasn't gotten the opportunity because of his inability to pitch three days in a row. My guess is he and Valverde split save opportunities almost 50-50 for now, with Phil Coke jumping in as matchups dictate, but I expect one to emerge as the clear frontrunner by the All-Star break.

Maybe Valverde is still the more likely of the two to earn a solo role given his experience and Leyland's hesitance to make Benoit a closer up to this point, but Benoit's potential in the role makes him well worth stashing just in case he takes this opportunity and runs with it.

Hunter homered in the first inning for the historic long ball. He hit his first career homer April 15, 1999 with the Twins at Tiger Stadium. Sunday, he took a fastball from P.J. Walters over the wall in left field. 

Hunter snapped an 0-for-13 stretch at the plate over his previous four games with the home run. He entered Sunday batting .290 on the year and now has three HRs. 

Al Melchior said on Tuesday’s Fantasy Baseball Today that it’s possible but mentioned some stiff competition that could round into form as the season progresses -- including Scherzer’s teammate Justin Verlander. Melchior also offered up his choice between Scherzer and Felix Hernandez.

Cabrera hit his 19th home run of the season in the first inning off starter Jake Arrieta for a two-run shot. The Tigers won 5-1. 

Cabrera finished 3 for 4 in the game with two RBI and is batting .358 for the Tigers. The three-hit game was his first multi-hit contest since picking up three hits against Tampa Bay back on June 6. That said, Cabrera still leads the American League in batting and RBI. 

The Orioles scored four runs off Valverde before he recorded an out. Adam Jones had a two-RBI double and Chris Davis connected for a two-run homer. Valverde then settled down to finally work out of trouble. He was charged with five hits and struck out one batter.

Valverde's ERA rose to 5.59, as it was the second time in his last eight outings he allowed four runs.

"The playing time will be kind of a gut feel thing for me," manager Jim Leyland said.

Holaday hit .259 with two home runs, 13 doubles and 15 RBI in 47 games for Toledo.

"I’m not ready to do that just yet," Leyland said, per the Detroit Free Press. "If someone doesn’t get going, then you either play (Tuiasosopo) a little bit more or do something else, and I’m not talking about anyone in particular. That’s a situation with any player."

"I won't catch Victor unless it's some freak situation," Leyland promised. "I don't think [Alex] Avila being on the DL applies as a 'freak situation'."

V-Mart is struggling with the bat right now as he's gone 3 for 24 (.125) over his last seven games with a .179 on-base percentage. He's grounded into five double plays over that stretch. 

Obviously, if a couple of left-handed hitters are due up in the ninth inning, I wouldn't be surprised to see Coke out there, but he's not nearly as likely as Valverde or Benoit to secure the role long-term. And because no committee lasts forever, the eventual victor is what you're ultimately trying to pinpoint in Fantasy.

If you need saves and Coke is the only available source of them, sure, you add him. But not over Benoit.

Jackson recorded three more hits Monday in a win over the Orioles. He went 3 for 4 with three singles, an RBI and two runs scored in the 5-1 victory. Jackson has gone 7 for 13 in his last three games after going 0 for 3 in his first game off the DL. 

The good news is the Tigers expect Sanchez to spend the minimum time on the DL, but even if he is sidelined for longer, there is no reason for owners to do anything other than stash him. He has been getting whiffs at an eye-popping 14 percent rate, which has helped him rack up 101 strikeouts, good for eighth in the majors.

Be sure to find a replacement for Fantasy Week 12 (June 17-23), but keep Sanchez rostered, as he could be back producing for your rotation within a couple of weeks.

Peralta went 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI. He scored a run and is batting .332 on the year. He drove in his 30th run of the season and has 19 doubles. 

Peralta has continued to swing a solid bat in June and has driven in four runs in his last four games. 

"It’s been a battle so far," Verlander said, per MLB.com. "Obviously, you have that stretch of three or four starts where it was pretty frustrating. You know, I guess I’m always trying to get better, and I feel like I’ve made adjustments to get to that point.

"I feel like I’ve been getting better, better, and better. That’s not necessarily going to work towards a perfect game, but you’re not going to get better every time. There’s ups and downs, peaks and valleys, (Tuesday) was just one of those nights where two long balls hurt me. You know who knows what happens if I’m able to execute those pitches a little bit better. I’m not saying that I regressed, it’s just one of those games. This is Major League Baseball, you’re not going to be perfect every time."

Batting eighth, Infante went 4 for 4 with four singles and his third stolen base of the season. He did not score or drive in any runs, however, in the 5-1 win. Infante is batting .308 on the season. 

The 31-year-old has gone 6 for 8 in his last two games after going 0 for 8 in the previous two. He's been hot and cold at times, but continues to hit right around .300.