A.J. Hinch Reveals Which Tiger Detroit Missed Most Last Season
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The Detroit Tigers started the 2025 season as the hottest team in Major League Baseball, carrying their hot stretch from 2024 into the season. However, after the All-Star break, things fell apart, and Detroit could have used a few extra bats to help the cause.
Limping their way into the playoffs after losing the AL Central division to the Cleveland Guardians, one would begin to wonder how the latter half of the season would have paid off if they had a key right-handed bat to their name. That player? Matt Vierling.
Vierling missed most of the 2025 season due to injuries, but the Tigers understand how crucial his bat is when he is healthy. In 2024, he was one of the few players on the Detroit roster with playoff experience, having previously played with the Philadelphia Phillies before being traded to the Tigers.
And in 2025, he was missed more than gets talked about.
A.J. Hinch Missed Matty V
As reported by Detroit Free Press's Evan Petzold, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch revealed how strongly he feels about Vierling getting back into the mix with the team this season. If his spring has shown anything, he's ready to make an impact in 2026.
"He's a huge addition for us – or re-addition for us. I think missing him last year was very underrated," Hinch said.
Vierling has been a much better player for Detroit than people may realize. Back in 2024, he was a 3.0 WAR player with 16 home runs and was versatile around the field.
This spring, heading into the game on Saturday against the Toronto Blue Jays, Vierling has hit .333, collecting nine hits, one of which was a home run.
Having Vierling back gives Hinch so many options to use more players in the early part of the season. Vierling can play the outfield and third base, potentially even first base when needed. If Kevin McGonigle makes the Opening Day roster, he could be playing alongside Vierling at third from time to time.
Getting over being hurt is something all athletes want, but for Vierling, a player who has come into his own since arriving in Detroit, it's more painful. Vierling told Petzold that he "hates being hurt."
"I don't do great with it. I don't know if I'll ever be good at it. The competitor in me wants to play, but I've learned to take your time with things."
Dominic Minchella is a 2024 Eastern Michigan University graduate with a BA in Communications, Media, and Theatre Arts and a Journalism minor. He covers Major League Baseball for On SI and spends his free time watching games and sharing his insights.