Minor leagues
The Detroit Tigers selected Dingler in the second round,with the 38th overall pick in the 2020 Major League Baseball draft. [13] He signed for $1.93 million. [14] He did not play a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. [15] To begin the 2021 season,he was assigned to the West Michigan Whitecaps of the High-A Central. [16] After slashing .287/.376/.549 with eight home runs and 24 RBI over 32 games,he was promoted to the Erie SeaWolves of the Double-A Northeast on June 13. [17] In early August,he was placed on the injured list with a finger injury. [18] He returned to play in early September. [19] Over 50 games with Erie,Dingler batted .202/.264/.314 with four home runs and twenty RBI. [20] He returned to Erie for the 2022 season. [21] He was selected to represent the Tigers at the 2022 All-Star Futures Game. [22] Over 107 games with Erie,Dingler slashed .238/.333/.419 with 14 home runs,58 RBI,and 22 doubles. [23] He was selected to play in the Arizona Fall League for the Salt River Rafters after the season. [24]
On March 16,2023,it was reported that Dingler would be out for four weeks after undergoing a meniscectomy procedure on his right knee. [25] After hitting .253 with 9 home runs and 41 RBI in 51 games for Double–A Erie,Dingler was promoted to the Triple–A Toledo Mud Hens in August 15. [26] In 26 games for Toledo,he hit .202 with three home runs and nine RBI.
On November 14,2023,the Tigers added Dingler to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. He was optioned to Triple–A Toledo to begin the 2024 season. [27] Over 71 games with Toledo,he hit .308 with 17 home runs and 52 RBIs. [28]
Major leagues
On July 29,2024,Dingler was promoted to the major leagues for the first time. [29] Dingler's first career hit was an RBI double on July 29,2024 against the Cleveland Guardians. [30] Dingler hit his first career home run on August 11 against the San Francisco Giants. [31] Dingler batted .167/.195/.310 with one home run and 11 RBIs in the 2024 season with the Tigers. [32]
Dingler started the 2025 season splitting time with 2024 starting catcher Jake Rogers. Rogers was placed on the injured list and when he returned,Dingler's positive performance (.289 batting average,plus-6 Defensive Runs Saved rating as of May 29) allowed him to remain the starter,catching approximately twice as often as Rogers. [33] Dingler led the 2025 Tigers with a .278 batting average,while adding 13 home runs and 57 RBI. Behind the plate,he had zero passed balls and threw out 31.7 percent of potential base stealers,first in the AL among catchers with a minimum of 50 SB attempts and well above the league average of 21.5 percent. On November 2,2025,Dingler was awarded his first career Gold Glove Award for American League catchers. [34] He is the first Tiger player to win a Gold Glove since Ian Kinsler in 2016,and the first Tiger catcher to win the award since Iván Rodríguez in 2007. [35]
Prior to the 2026 season,Dingler underwent arthoscopic surgery and began his play at spring training by participating in a throwing program and catching bullpen sessions. [36] [37]
