When will top prospect Max Clark join Detroit Tigers in the majors?

ATLANTA — Max Clark is coming soon.

Right?

President of baseball operations Scott Harris has built the Detroit Tigers' top-heavy farm system around a few position player prospects. The group is headlined by American League Rookie of the Year favorite Kevin McGonigle, though he wasn't always the top-ranked prospect.

It used to be Clark.

While McGonigle is thriving with the Tigers, Clark – selected 34 picks before him in the 2023 draft, at No. 3 overall – has been continuing his development in Triple-A Toledo. He still seems projected for his MLB debut in 2026, but the Tigers aren't making any promises.

"We're not ready to bring him up right now," Harris said Tuesday, April 28, during an MLB Network interview with studio host Brian Kenny. "He's a really important part of our future. We took him first in my first draft, and then we took Kevin right behind him. Those remain two really important pieces for us moving forward."

Clark, a left-handed hitter, has a .305 batting average with one home run, 13 walks and 14 strikeouts in 24 games at the Triple-A level, registering an .834 OPS. He has logged all 198⅓ innings in center field, where he has called home for his entire career in the minor leagues.

He hit .377 with a 1.010 OPS in his first 17 games.

Since then?

He is hitting .115 with a .361 OPS in his past seven games.

"His ceiling is one that can put pressure on the opposing team in all phases of the game," Harris said. "He's certainly performing well offensively – that's a really big part. I think he's going to hit for more power as he gets more comfortable with his swing and his strike-zone decision-making.

"We also want to see him continue to develop the other areas of his game. He can be an elite center fielder. We're really focused on his jumps, his reads and getting off the ball quickly in center field. We also think he can put a lot of pressure on the opposing teams on the bases. We think there's more he can get there, and we're trying to stay focused on his leads, his fundamentals and his ability to read different types of pitchers and get a good jump."