Detroit Tigers Inge began his professional career with the
Jamestown Jammers, of the Single–A
New York–Penn League. In 51 games, Inge batted .230. His 8 homers, 10 doubles, and 29 RBI were all team–high totals. In 2006, Inge exceeded his 2005 totals with 398 assists. That number broke the
Detroit Tigers single season record for assists by a third baseman (previously 389 by
Aurelio Rodríguez in 1974) and was only 14 short of the all time MLB record for assists by a third baseman (set by
Graig Nettles in 1971). Only five third basemen (including
Graig Nettles,
Brooks Robinson, and
Mike Schmidt) have collected more assists in a season than Inge. In 2006, Inge showed power during the first half, with his 17
home runs tying for the team lead. His slugging percentage was .463 and he placed third on the Tigers with 47 RBIs. After the All-Star Break, he raised his season average from .221 to .253 and finished with a career-high 27
home runs. On October 27, 2006, Inge struck out versus
St. Louis Cardinals pitcher
Adam Wainwright for the final out of the
2006 World Series. Inge became expendable at third base after the Tigers acquired
Miguel Cabrera in a blockbuster trade with the
Florida Marlins. Inge asked management to trade him to a team where he would have a chance to be an everyday player. However, a deal was never made, and the team stated that he would be used as a utility player for the 2008 season. Inge reported to spring training early with the pitchers and catchers. He was named the opening day
center fielder after
Curtis Granderson was placed on the disabled list. With the absence of backup catcher
Vance Wilson, Inge filled this role for the 13-time
Gold Glove winner
Iván Rodríguez. Inge took over the catching position full-time after Rodríguez was traded to the
New York Yankees on July 30, 2008. On September 27, Tigers manager
Jim Leyland announced that he would move Inge back to third base for the 2009 season. Inge opened the
2009 season as the starting third baseman for the Tigers. He started the season by successfully reaching base 24 games in a row, the longest such streak for the Tigers since 1976. Through the first half of the 2009 season, Inge led the team in home runs with 21 and was named to the All-Star team. Having received a record 11.8 million votes in the
Final Vote, Inge was selected to his first
All Star Game, joining teammates
Curtis Granderson,
Justin Verlander, and
Edwin Jackson on the
American League squad. Inge participated in the
Home Run Derby and became the eighth player in the history of the Derby to not hit a single home run. He set career highs in games (161) and RBI (84) over the 2009 season, while matching his career high of 27 home runs. Inge underwent surgery on both of his knees on November 3, 2009. He attended a strengthening and rehabilitation program during the winter. He made a full recovery in time to play midway through spring training, and started at third base on Opening Day of the 2010 season in Kansas City. On July 19, 2010, Inge was hit on the left hand by a pitch. X-rays revealed a non-displaced fracture of the fifth
metacarpal. Although doctors said it would take 4–6 weeks to heal, Inge returned only two weeks later. On August 26, 2010, Inge achieved his 1,000th career hit against the
Kansas City Royals. On September 25, 2010, Inge set the Tigers franchise mark for strikeouts with 1,100. In the same game, however, he had the game-winning hit in the 13th inning against the
Minnesota Twins. At the conclusion of the season, Tigers general manager
Dave Dombrowski announced plans to re-sign Inge to a multi-year contract. Inge received the 2010
Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award, given by the
Major League Baseball Players Association each year "to the player whose on-field performances and community outreach most inspire others to higher levels of achievement." On June 3, 2011, Inge was placed on the 15-day disabled list with
mononucleosis. In 239 plate appearances with Detroit in 2011, he recorded a .177 batting average, before being designated for assignment on July 20. He was outrighted to Triple-A on July 26. In his return to the Tigers on August 20, Inge went 2-for-4, hitting a home run in his first at-bat and driving in two runs, en route to a 10–1 win over the second-place Cleveland Indians. As of January 26, 2012, Inge had lost his starting third base job to
Miguel Cabrera, who was moving back to the hot corner after the Tigers announced they had signed slugger
Prince Fielder to play 1st base. At the press conference announcing the Fielder signing, manager
Jim Leyland said that Inge "was not a happy camper". Leyland also said that Inge would be able to play second base for the Tigers, along with
Ramon Santiago, and
Ryan Raburn, but Inge was still thinking he should have a full-time job. He continued to play second base with the others, as Leyland had said he would, until he was released by the Tigers following their game on April 26, 2012.
Oakland Athletics Inge agreed to sign with the
Oakland Athletics on April 29, 2012, on a $5.5 million deal. The signing provided infield depth for Oakland, who lost
Scott Sizemore to a knee injury. He initially wore number 18, but switched to number 7 after a few games (his old #15 was worn by teammate
Seth Smith). In his first game against the Tigers a week later, Inge hit a
grand slam. On September 1, after dislocating his shoulder for the second time within a month, Inge was forced to undergo season ending shoulder surgery.
Pittsburgh Pirates On February 12, 2013, Inge inked a minor league contract with the
Pittsburgh Pirates organization. On March 27, the Pirates selected Inge's contract after he made the team's
Opening Day roster. He started the season on the disabled list due to a right shoulder injury. On April 23, Inge was recalled from the Triple-A
Indianapolis Indians. In 50 appearances for Pittsburgh, he batted .181/.204/.238 with one home run and seven RBI. Inge was
designated for assignment by the Pirates on July 23. He was released by the team after clearing waivers on July 30. ==Post-playing career==