Tigers’ All-Star Shines After A.J. Hinch Makes Bold Lineup Move

A Detroit Tigers All-Star looks to be getting back on track after a lineup change.

Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Detroit Tigers have been struggling to consistently perform over the last few weeks, watching their lead in the American League Central over the Cleveland Guardians dwindle by the day as the losses piled up.

Looking to get his team back on track, manager A.J. Hinch made some major adjustments with his batting order involving one of his All-Stars, left fielder Riley Greene, who was mired in an ugly slump.

Entering this weekend’s series against the Los Angeles Angels, Greene had yet to record a hit in August. His last hit came on July 30 when he was 2-for-4 against the Arizona Diamondbacks, which preceded an 0-for-21 stretch.

He didn’t get on base a single time the first eight days of August, failing to draw a walk and being struck out nine times. As a result, Hinch did something that hadn’t been done to Greene since his MLB debut: he was dropped in the batting order to the No. 6 hole.

In the series opener against the Angels on Friday night, Greene was penciled in at No. 6, the lowest he had been in the order in 2025. Only seven other occasions, all in the No. 5 spot, had he not been second, third or fourth.

It was a move that the All-Star slugger was accepting of, putting his trust into Hinch as the manager. Would it be a move that helped him get his performance back on track, or would the slide continue?

Riley Greene responds positively to moving down Tigers order

Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

It would be the former, with Greene finally getting back into the hit column on Friday night, going 2-for-4. He would get the night off on Saturday, with the Angels starting left-handed pitcher Yusei Kikuchi, but appeared later in the game as a pinch hitter.

Greene failed to get a hit in that at-bat, striking out. But, the shake up did look to help him, as he was back in the batting order for Sunday afternoon producing again.

He put together another 2-for-4 performance, this time in the cleanup hole, looking like the run producer the Tigers had become accustomed to seeing prior to this slump.

Greene launched a two-run home run off Jack Kochanowicz in the bottom of the sixth inning. It was his second RBI hit of the afternoon, as he got the scoring started for Detriot with an RBI single in the first inning.

HELLO RILEY 💥 pic.twitter.com/N4smMe2amu

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) August 10, 2025

The home run was his 27th of the season, and first since July 29, bringing his RBI total up to 87, both of which are already career-highs. His increased strikeout rate, already going down 156 times, the same number he had in 2024 in 96 more plate appearances, is certainly something to keep an eye on down the stretch.

But, he has proven capable of still putting up massive numbers despite the swing-and-miss in his game.

The Tigers certainly hope that it continues, as part of their prolonged slumping in recent weeks is directly tied to their best player going ice cold. Hopefully, the shakeup by Hinch has gotten him back on track and he can continue anchoring this lineup over the final weeks of the regular season into the playoffs.