Max Clark progressing but he still shouldn't be in Detroit - not yet

TOLEDO, OH – Sometimes, the worst thing can become the best thing.

If you can learn from it.

If you can grow from it.

If you can let it be fuel.

Instead of letting it crush you.

And that is what Max Clark, the Detroit Tigers' No. 2 prospect, has done.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Max Clark on picture day during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026.

KID STUFF: Kevin McGonigle, Max Clark will get their chances to shine this spring

“Every time you go through a dark period, whether it's life or sports or anything, you come out a better man,” Clark told the Free Press on Saturday, April 11. “Everybody needs a moment of setback.”

Clark got his setback – and maybe more than that – in his first spring training with the Tigers.

Basically, he was a mess. He made uncharacteristic mistakes on defense, dropping fly balls and getting backlash on social media.

He struggled at the plate, going 0-for-13 in his final eight games.

And the Tigers came to a quick conclusion: He wasn’t going to make this club. At least, not yet.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Max Clark bats at live batting practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Monday, Feb. 16, 2026.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Max Clark bats at live batting practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Monday, Feb. 16, 2026.

From left, Detroit Tigers outfielder Ben Malgeri, outfielder Trei Cruz, outfielder Max Clark and infielder Kevin McGonigle practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Monday, Feb. 16, 2026.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Max Clark practices during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Max Clark practices during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Max Clark practices during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Corey Julks, left, next to outfielder Max Clark practices during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Max Clark practices during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Max Clark practices during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026.

Detroit Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris, left, shakes hands with outfielder Max Clark at practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Max Clark runs a drill at practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Max Clark runs a drill at practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026.

Detroit Tigers infielder Colt Keith, left, and outfielder Max Clark practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Max Clark arrives for first day spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026.

1 / 14

Up close with Max Clark in his first Detroit Tigers spring training

Detroit Tigers outfielder Max Clark bats at live batting practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Monday, Feb. 16, 2026.

1 / 14

Up close with Max Clark in his first Detroit Tigers spring training

Detroit Tigers outfielder Max Clark bats at live batting practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Monday, Feb. 16, 2026.

2 / 14

Up close with Max Clark in his first Detroit Tigers spring training

Detroit Tigers outfielder Max Clark bats at live batting practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Monday, Feb. 16, 2026.

3 / 14

Up close with Max Clark in his first Detroit Tigers spring training

From left, Detroit Tigers outfielder Ben Malgeri, outfielder Trei Cruz, outfielder Max Clark and infielder Kevin McGonigle practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Monday, Feb. 16, 2026.

4 / 14

Up close with Max Clark in his first Detroit Tigers spring training

Detroit Tigers outfielder Max Clark practices during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026.

5 / 14

Up close with Max Clark in his first Detroit Tigers spring training

Detroit Tigers outfielder Max Clark practices during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026.

6 / 14

Up close with Max Clark in his first Detroit Tigers spring training

Detroit Tigers outfielder Max Clark practices during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026.

7 / 14

Up close with Max Clark in his first Detroit Tigers spring training

Detroit Tigers outfielder Corey Julks, left, next to outfielder Max Clark practices during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026.

8 / 14

Up close with Max Clark in his first Detroit Tigers spring training

Detroit Tigers outfielder Max Clark practices during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026.

9 / 14

Up close with Max Clark in his first Detroit Tigers spring training

Detroit Tigers outfielder Max Clark practices during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026.

10 / 14

Up close with Max Clark in his first Detroit Tigers spring training

Detroit Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris, left, shakes hands with outfielder Max Clark at practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026.

11 / 14

Up close with Max Clark in his first Detroit Tigers spring training

Detroit Tigers outfielder Max Clark runs a drill at practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026.

12 / 14

Up close with Max Clark in his first Detroit Tigers spring training

Detroit Tigers outfielder Max Clark runs a drill at practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026.

13 / 14

Up close with Max Clark in his first Detroit Tigers spring training

Detroit Tigers infielder Colt Keith, left, and outfielder Max Clark practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026.

14 / 14

Up close with Max Clark in his first Detroit Tigers spring training

Detroit Tigers outfielder Max Clark arrives for first day spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026.

He had to spend more time in the minor leagues.

So, that is why Clark – a 2023 first-rounder – was cut 17 days before Opening Day.

In some ways, the quick cut seemed merciful: Clark just needed to exhale. He needed to relax.

But he never wants to forget this experience. So, Clark got a tattoo down his side: “Every fall is a chance to rise.”

And that’s exactly what he’s doing.

Learning to rise from failure

Detroit Tigers outfielder Max Clark fields against the New York Yankees during the fifth inning at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026.

Now, here comes the best part of this story.

I know it's early, I know it's a small sample size, but to this point, one of the best prospects in baseball has only gotten better from this experience.

Clark has taken all of those struggles and grown from it. Because he figured out what went wrong.

“Having the moment of setback, and having that adversity is huge,” he said “You find holes in your game that got exploited. That left me with a lot of areas to improve.”

The main problem boiled down to the thing the Tigers harp on constantly.

He wasn’t swinging at the right pitches.

“I got a little bit outside of my zone in the spring,” he said. “Whether it's being too amped up, whether it's guys are executing pitches better on the edges around the zone, rather than in the heart.”

He has cleaned that up, started hammering pitches in the zone and he’s soaring again.

Clark is hitting .413 (17-for-46) with nine walks and four strikeouts in 12 games for Triple-A Toledo, hitting eight doubles and a triple, posting a ridiculous 1.121 OPS.

Yes, it’s a small sample size.

But it’s incredibly encouraging for the Tigers.

Actually, it’s incredibly encouraging for Clark.

“There really isn't a better teaching tool than failure,” Toledo manager Gabe Alvarez said. “He had to make some adjustments - being more selective at the plate, being able to go after the right pitches. He knows he can hit. And that's what he's done all year. He's doing great.”

So move him up? Not so fast

Detroit Tigers outfielder Max Clark practices during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026.

When Tigers center fielder Parker Meadows was injured Thursday after a collision with Riley Greene and the Tigers needed to call up somebody, some fans looked at Clark’s stats and thought: Why don’t they bring up the young kid?

So, let me be brutally honest: There was no reason to rush him, not after what he went through in spring training. Not after all of his struggles.

"In regards to Max Clark, no, he wasn't in consideration to come up," manager A.J. Hinch said Friday. "We've been very consistent with him needing time to continue the development."

Because even though Clark is the Tigers' No. 2 prospect – and he'll be No. 1 once draft-classmate Kevin McGonigle exhausts his MLB rookie eligibility in a month or so – he still has work to do. That became incredibly clear in spring training.

"He's taken everything that we have asked him to do and started to apply it in Triple-A and has gotten off to a good start himself, whether that's on the bases, on defense or certainly the bat," Hinch said. "He has done a really good job getting himself used to Triple-A. We obviously expect him to factor in more and more as these things develop, and he continues to develop himself.”

Clark is a rare five-tool player – that’s what makes him so special. That’s why the Tigers selected him No. 3 overall in the 2023 MLB Draft.

And now, he’s learning how to use all of them.

He has thrown out several runners – anybody running on him seems foolish, because he has a cannon for an arm.

Detroit Tigers left fielder Max Clark exits the batting cage before the game against the Atlanta Braves during spring training at CoolToday Park in North Port, Florida, on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026.

And he’s learning how to use his speed on the bases, becoming more of a threat. He has six stolen bases in 12 games, which is a vast improvement from his 19 steals in 111 games in 2025.

“I'm just more aggressive,” he said. “I've definitely gotten better at reading pitchers, but I've also done more homework, trying to understand their tendencies when they like to pick, what their times are, and I'm just trying to find ways to impact the game on all five tools.”

That’s what makes Clark so dangerous.

“Overall, man, I feel great," he said. "Obviously, the stats are what they are, but yeah, it's a bigger picture than that.”

Yes, there is a bigger picture that is often missed with Clark – who is still the youngest player on the Toledo roster.

Even though Clark is full of flash, even though he has so much confidence, even though he wears the gold chains, even though he seems so brash, many have the wrong perception about him.

“You get to know him, and you're like, this is a real humble, down-to-earth kid that was raised with great morals,” Alvarez said. “He's a great teammate."

A great teammate who endured failure and has risen from it.

Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on X @seideljeff

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers prospect Max Clark learned huge lesson this spring