Detroit Tigers Get Welcome Injury News on Slew of Key Players
The Detroit Tigers enter play on Monday at 33-43 and 5.5 games back in the American League Central.
Since the mediocrity of the division has kept the Tigers in the playoff race, the team's ability to bring players back from the injured list to contribute is very much worth monitoring, and on Monday, the team got several good health-related updates.
First, the team is set to welcome back injured pitcher Matt Manning from the injured list on Tuesday.
All the following updates come from the Rotowire fantasy baseball portal:
Manning (foot) will return to the Tigers' rotation Tuesday versus the Rangers, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
ANALYSIS
Manning issued eight walks in 8.2 innings on his three-start minor league rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo, but he allowed only one (unearned) run. The 25-year-old has been sidelined since April 11 due to a fracture in his right foot...
Manning, 25, made his debut in 2021 and then only threw 63.0 innings last year because of a different injury. He's 7-11 in his career with a 4.78 ERA.
As for rotation ace Eduardo Rodriguez...
Rodriguez (finger) will make a rehab start Thursday for Triple-A Toledo, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
ANALYSIS
After everything went well during his live batting practice session Saturday, Rodriguez will now officially move onto beginning a rehab assignment. The 30-year-old lefty has been out for nearly a month, so it's possible the Tigers keep him in the minors for more than one rehab start.
Rodriguez is 4-4 with a 2.13 ERA in 67.2 innings this year. He's struck out 67 batters and has a WHIP of less than 1 (0.975).
Rodriguez signed a 5-year, $77 million contract in Detroit before the 2022 season after spending the 2015-2021 years with the Boston Red Sox. He helped the Red Sox win the 2018 World Series, going 13-5 that year.
And on lefty Tarik Skubal....
Skubal (elbow) will make his next rehab start for Triple-A Toledo on Wednesday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
ANALYSIS
Wednesday will mark Skubal's fifth minor-league rehab start since beginning his assignment June 4. He's given up three runs (two earned) while striking out 16 batters across 10.2 innings between High-A and Triple-A. If Wednesday's start ends up being Skubal's final appearance in the minors, he would be lined up to return to Detroit's rotation July 4 versus Oakland.
Skubal is a lifetime 16-24 pitcher with a 4.15 ERA in 60 career games. He went 7-8 in 2022 in 21 starts, striking out 117 in 117.2 innings.
The team also got good news on the position player front as star youngster Riley Greene is nearing a rehab assignment.
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch indicated Monday that Greene (fibula) is close to beginning a rehab assignment, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
ANALYSIS
Hinch didn't get into specifics on the plan, but McCosky suspects that Greene will join up with Triple-A Toledo by this weekend. The 22-year-old outfielder has been sidelined for all of June due to a stress fracture in his left fibula, so he's probably going to need several games on the farm to get his offensive and defensive timing back. Look for him to be activated from the IL in early July.
Greene is one of the centerpieces of the Tigers rebuild and has enjoyed a breakout season this year. The 22-year-old and former No. 5 overall pick in the draft is hitting .296 with five home runs, 18 RBI and six stolen bases.
He made his major league debut in 2022 and is a lifetime .268 hitter with 10 home runs. He and Spencer Torkelson make up the future position player core of the organization.
The team also said that Akil Baddoo is close to a rehab assignment while pitcher Alex Faedo will begin a rehab assignment on Tuesday.
The Tigers are playing the Texas Rangers on Monday at 8:05 p.m. ET.
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