DETROIT, Mich. (WANE) – Less than a week before opening day Zach McKinstry found out he was being traded, as the infielder was dealt by the Chicago Cubs to the Detroit Tigers. Three weeks into his tenure with the Tigers and the North Side High School graduate is starting to feel at home in the Motor City.

McKinstry, a left-handed hitting infielder, has been in and out of the lineup so far with the Tigers, who had won five games in a row heading into Wednesday’s contest against Cleveland. While the Tigers dropped Wednesday’s game by a score of 3-2 McKinstry hit his first home run for the Tigers, smashing a solo shot as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning.

McKinstry has played in 12 of Detroit’s 17 games and is hitting .250 with 3 RBI and is tied for the team lead with two stolen bases.

It’s been an interesting journey for McKinstry, who began his pro career as a 33rd round pick by the Dodgers out of Central Michigan in the 2016 MLB Draft. He made his MLB debut with L.A. on September 16, 2020 and earned a World Series ring when the Dodgers won the title later that year.

After playing 60 games for the Dodgers in 2021, McKinstry began the 2022 campaign with L.A. but was traded to the Cubs on July 30. He appeared in 40 games with Chicago to close out the 2022 season and attended 2023 spring training with the Cubs, but was traded to the Tigers on Monday, March 27 just three days before Detroit’s season opener on Thursday, March 30.

The Tigers are off on Thursday, but open a three-game series at the Baltimore Orioles on Friday.