He joined the Reno Silver Sox for the 1980 campaign, playing in 65 contests for the single-A level California League team, hitting .299/.393/.387/.781.

Tingley rejoined the Gold Sox for the 1981 season, playing in 116 games and spending the whole year at the double-A level, hitting .288/.376/.467/.843 with 13 home runs and 60 RBI.

He finally reached the triple-A level in 1982, playing in 115 games for the Pacific Coast League Hawaii Islanders (.262/.363/.392/.755).

He also made his first major league appearances, playing the final week of the season as San Diego's starting catcher.

Despite this poor showing, Tingley earned a return engagement with Cleveland in 1987, this time with their American Association affiliate, the Buffalo Bisons.

1988 would see him join yet another triple-A club for the Indians, the Pacific Coast League Colorado Springs Sky Sox, where he hit .285/.347/.408/.755 in 44 games.

In 1989, Tingley played the majority of the season back with the Sky Sox, appearing in 66 games and hitting .261/.318/.406/.723 with six home runs and 39 RBI.

He didn't spend any time in the minors that season, appearing in four contests for the Angels and going one-for-three from the plate with a walk.

On August 27, in the first game of a doubleheader against the Brewers, he hit a two-out, bases clearing double in the fourth inning of a 7–6 loss.

Tingley went 0-for-5 with Chicago, spending the rest of his time with the triple-A Nashville Sounds in the American Association (six games, two-for-16).

The 1995 season would see him sign up with the Detroit Tigers, where he played in 54 games and got career highs in most of his hitting stats, with a line of .226/.307/.403/.710, four home runs and 18 RBI.

1996 would mark Tingley's last season of competitive ball, with the Lake Elsinore Storm in the Angels A+ affiliate in the California League, hitting .308/.431/.462/.893 in 13 games.