Hao-Yu Lee's platoon split presents a key challenge. Can he conquer right-handed pitching to secure an everyday MLB role?
With fewer than 30 days until pitchers and catchers report to Lakeland, the Detroit Tigers enter spring training with several new additions to the 40-man roster. Much of the recent prospect conversation has centered on Kevin McGonigle — and for good reason. Widely regarded as one of the organization’s top position-player prospects, McGonigle owns an 80-grade hit tool, according to Baseball America and other scouting outlets, and is viewed by many as a potential cornerstone infielder for the Tigers moving forward.
Less discussed nationally, but no less important to Detroit’s immediate depth picture, is Hao-Yu Lee. Lee has quickly positioned himself as one of the more polished middle-infield options in the system. With a strong offensive track record in the upper minors and the versatility to handle multiple infield spots, both at second and third (coming in at number 3 overall among 3rd basemen according to MLB Pipeline rankings) Lee enters camp as a name worth monitoring as the Tigers sort through their infield depth ahead of the 2026 season.
In 2025 at Triple-A Toledo, Hao-Yu Lee showed a pronounced platoon split that underscored both his offensive ceiling and his primary developmental hurdle. Against left-handed pitching, Lee was highly productive, batting .299 with a .395 on-base percentage and a .523 slugging percentage across 124 plate appearances, good for a .918 OPS. He showed the ability to drive the ball to all fields, with extra-base damage to both gaps and enough lift to punish mistakes.
That success did not carry over against right-handed pitching. In 455 plate appearances versus right-handers, Lee hit .228 with a .327 on-base percentage and a .374 slugging percentage, producing a .701 OPS. The strikeout rate climbed, the quality of contact dipped, and much of his contact resulted in ground balls and routine fly outs, particularly to the pull side.
The underlying issue appears mechanical rather than approach-based. Lee has a tendency to overswing against right-handed pitching, particularly when he falls behind in the count. Rather than trusting his natural contact ability, he often looks to do damage early, leading to an elongated swing path and late contact. The result is visible in his spray chart, where balls put in play against right-handers cluster heavily in shallow right field and on the infield, with fewer driven balls to the opposite gap.
For Lee, closing that gap will be the difference between profiling as organizational depth and emerging as a viable everyday option. Simplifying his swing decisions against right-handed pitching — prioritizing line-drive contact over lift — would allow his plate discipline and bat-to-ball skills to play more consistently at the upper levels. Until then, his split performance remains the clearest obstacle standing between him and a sustained major league role.
What needs to change for Lee in 2026
From a development standpoint, the Tigers’ priorities for Hao-Yu Lee entering 2026 are relatively clear. The organization will look for Lee to rein in his swing decisions against right-handed pitching, particularly in leverage counts. That means shortening his swing when behind, staying through the middle of the field and resisting the urge to overswing for power. Detroit believes his natural bat-to-ball skills and plate discipline are good enough to support a more contact-oriented approach, one that would allow his doubles power to surface without forcing damage.
Defensively, Lee’s versatility remains a key part of his value, though there is room for refinement. While he has experience at both second and third base, the Tigers would like to see him log more consistent game reps at those positions, especially at third, where his footwork and arm accuracy can still tighten. Increased exposure there would not only sharpen his defensive reliability but also broaden his pathways to playing time at the major league level.
From the front office’s perspective, Lee remains firmly on the radar because of a combination of age, proximity and positional flexibility. Still relatively young for Triple-A, Lee has already demonstrated he can handle upper-level pitching, even if inconsistently. His ability to cover both second and third base gives Detroit valuable depth as it balances short-term roster needs with longer-term development timelines. That blend of youth, versatility and offensive baseline explains why the Tigers continue to invest in Lee, even as they push him to address the final gaps in his profile.
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