One Time Dodgers Prospect Cut by Cubs; Traded to Tigers

Old friend alert out of the windy city.

Former Dodgers utility player and one time prospect Zach McKinstry has been traded by the Cubs to the Tigers for a mid-tier pitching prospect. The Cubs are seemingly giving up on Zach after a rough spring training where he hit just .079 in 20 games.

The Chicago #Cubs acquired RHP Carlos Guzman from the Detroit #Tigers for infielder Zach McKinstry.

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) March 27, 2023

The Dodgers traded McKinstry to Chicago at the deadline last year for RHP Chris Martin who excelled for LA in 26 relief appearances. McKinstry hit just .206 with a .633 OPS in 47 games after the trade.

Dodgers fans will best remember Zach McKinstry his first big league home run -- an inside-the-park homer in Colorado -- and as the guy that was supposed to take over as the new Kiké Hernandez following his departure after the 2020 World Series. 

🚨 Inside-the-park home run 🚨

Zach McKinstry won't ever forget his first career homer. pic.twitter.com/Ze0e7Orqqm

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) April 4, 2021

McKinstry struggled in his time with the Dodgers, hitting just .210 over parts of three seasons with LA, dealing with injuries and literally forgetting to open his eyes while hitting at one point.

In joining the Tigers, the 27-year-old gets another shot to prove himself at the big league level. The Tigers are once again expected to be not very good at baseball, so that's good for Zach and his future in the game.