Former top pick Spencer Torkelson rejoins Tigers

Spencer Torkelson doubled and tripled in his return to the majors as the Detroit Tigers beat the New York Yankees 4-0 on Saturday.

Torkelson, who turns 25 on Aug. 26, was batting .201 with four homers when he was demoted to Triple-A on June 2. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 amateur draft was called up this weekend along with Jace Jung and Trey Sweeney -- two of Detroit's top infield prospects.

"That was a really fun game and, gosh, it is great to be back," Torkelson said.

Torkelson doubled in his first at-bat in the second inning and scored on Zach McKinstry 's RBI single. He tripled to start the sixth but was thrown out at home while trying to advance on an errant pitch.

Tigers right-hander Keider Montero (4-5) struck out five in five-plus innings in his 10th career start. He allowed two hits in his third consecutive win.

While Torkelson hit only .233 in 2023, he smashed 31 home runs and drove in 94 in 159 games. At Toledo this year, he hit .239 with 11 home runs, 43 RBIs and a .799 OPS in 58 games. His OPS with the Tigers earlier this season was .597.

The Associated Press and Field Level Media contributed to this report.