DETROIT — Tigers rookie Kevin McGonigle became the latest young player to get a big-money deal, agreeing Wednesday to a $150 million, eight-year contract that starts in 2027.

An infielder who has started at third base and shortstop, McGonigle, 21, became the youngest Tigers player named to an Opening Day roster since Omar Infante in 2003. He had four hits in his major league debut on March 26 and entered Wednesday hitting .311 with one homer, eight RBIs and a .417 on-base percentage in 17 games.

“As soon as we saw this kid play and saw the way he commands the strike zone, fights for every pitch and uses the whole field, it was like, ‘Wow, that’s pretty interesting for an 18-year-old kid,'” Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said. “We knew he could play the infield and he had the right physical gifts.

“It was just about how quickly everything would come together, and they came together more quickly than I ever thought.”

McGonigle, ESPN’s No. 2 prospect for the 2026 season, became the fourth top prospect to get a big-money deal since late March following a $140 million, nine-year contract for 19-year-old Pittsburgh shortstop Konnor Griffin; a $95 million, eight-year agreement for 20-year-old Seattle shortstop Colt Emerson; and a $50.75 million, eight-year pact for 21-year-old Milwaukee shortstop Cooper Pratt.

“If you think about it, this is a kid who would be eligible for this year’s draft if he had gone to college,” Harris said. “Now, he’s up here with a long-term contract, so I guess he made the right decision.”

McGonigle has a one-year contact for 2026 paying the $780,000 minimum while in the major leagues and $127,100 while in the minors.

His new deal calls for a $14 million signing bonus, including $8 million payable within 30 days of the contract’s approval by Major League Baseball and $6 million on March 31, 2028. He gets salaries of $1 million next year, $7 million in 2028, $16 million in 2029, $21 million in 2030, $22 million in 2031 and $23 million each in 2032, 2033 and 2034.

“I had the confidence to think there was a possibility for something like this to happen,” McGonigle said. “I’m just super pumped and super excited to spend the next nine years here helping this team win.”

Escalators could increase his salaries in the final three seasons, capped at $25 million in 2032, $26 million in 2033 and $28 million in 2034. The escalators, based on accomplishments starting in 2026, are $2 million for winning an MVP, $1 million for finishing second through fifth in voting, $500,000 for sixth through 10th, $500,000 for making the All-MLB first or second team, $250,000 for being elected or selected an All-Star and $250,000 for winning a Silver Slugger.

He would get a $5 million assignment bonus each time he is traded.

McGonigle’s deal covers the first three seasons after he would have been eligible for free agency.

McGonigle was selected by the Tigers 37th overall in the 2023 amateur draft out of Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast High School in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. He had a hot spring that allowed him to skip Triple-A after playing in just 46 games in Double-A last season.

“Ever since I picked up a bat, this was always a dream,” he said. “Definitely at a young age, I’d say I knew I had the opportunity to play at a high level.”

He has reached base in 13 consecutive starts and 15 of 16 games. He is one of only 10 players in the major leagues with more walks (11) than strikeouts (eight) among players with at least 11 walks.

“What he is doing right now is remarkable,” Harris said. “We studied young hitters and their adjustment periods to the majors, and right down the line, they really struggled for the first 150 plate appearances in the big leagues.

“Clearly, [McGonigle] hasn’t. I can’t remember a debut that I was this impressed with through 17 games.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Lehigh baseball set a Division I record by scoring 20 runs in the first inning of a 38-6 win over Coppin State on Tuesday.

Eight Mountain Hawks players had reached base in the top of the first inning, five runs were scored, and the Eagles made a pitching change before recording the first out. The remaining 15 runs came across before out 2.

Runs 4 through 16 were all scored on walks, hit by pitches or wild pitches, and first baseman Owen Walewander closed out the mayhem with a grand slam to make it 20-0.

Lehigh had 23 plate appearances during the inning with 11 walks, six HBPs and just three hits.

The 20 runs broke the previous record for a first inning of 18 set by Princeton in March 1974 and tied by Air Force in April 1974. Lehigh did come up shy of the Division I record for runs in any inning, as George Mason scored 23 in the second inning of a 2025 game against Holy Cross.

Coppin State did manage to trim a run back in the bottom of the inning to trail 20-1 through the first.

Also among the firsts set in Tuesday’s seven-inning blowout: a new Patriot League mark for runs in a game and an NCAA record seven walks drawn by senior third baseman Aidan Quinn.

Lehigh finished the game with 12 hits (five extra-base hits), 25 walks and nine HBPs. Coppin State threw 11 wild pitches.

KARACHI: Muhammad Waseem and Khuzaima bin Tanveer have been released from the Karachi Kings squad for the remainder of PSL 11 due to national duty commitments.

According to the franchise, both players have been called up for national assignments, making them unavailable for the rest of the tournament.

To strengthen their squad, the 2020 champions have signed England’s explosive opener Jason Roy as United Arab Emirates (UAE) counterpart Muhammad Waseem’s replacement.

Roy, known for his aggressive batting style and vast T20 experience around the world, is expected to add firepower to the Kings’ top order.

“Welcoming England’s destructive opener Jason Roy to the [Kings Squad]. He joins the squad as a replacement for Muhammad Waseem,” the Kings captioned the post.

The franchise added that a replacement for Khuzaima bin Tanveer will be announced in due course.

Meanwhile, Roy’s addition would bolster the Kings’ arsenal as the 35-year-old brings a wealth of experience from playing in the marquee league, having featured in 38 matches across six seasons for Lahore Qalandars and Quetta Gladiators.

In his glittering PSL career, Roy has 1260 runs at an encouraging average of 36.00 and a hefty strike rate of 146.51 with the help of two centuries and eight fifties.

He also holds the record of the highest individual score, 145 not out, ever recorded in the marquee league, which came for the Gladiators against Peshawar Zalmi in the 2023 edition.

Updated squad of Karachi Kings for PSL 11

David Warner (c), Hasan Ali, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Khushdil Shah, Saad Baig, Moeen Ali, Azam Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Shahid Aziz, Mir Hamza, Adam Zampa, Hamza Sohail, Aqib Ilyas, Jason Roy, Haroon Arshad, Reeza Hendricks, Ihsanullah and Rizwanullah.