Detroit Tigers Manager Confident Team Can Weather Injuries, Handle Expectations

The Detroit Tigers are facing some very real challenges before the season begins.

Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch on February 14, 2024, at the spring training facility in Lakeland, Florida. | Evan Petzold / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Detroit Tigers are heading into the 2025 season with a unique set of challenges.

After a run to the playoffs which came within just one game of their first ALCS appearance in a decade followed up by what was a quietly strong free agency period, the Tigers have more hype surrounding their team than they have had before a year begins in a long time.

Expectations are a good thing in the sense that they mean things are moving in the right direction in the big picture and the team is relevant enough to be counted on to make significant accomplishments, though they can also present a different kind of challenge.

Another difficulty Detroit is facing is the injury bug to their outfield with still three weeks to go until the season. With two of their most important outfielders in center fielder Parker Meadows and utility man Matt Vierling dealing with ailments, the Tigers are having to get creative with their defensive and lineup configuration.

Meadows' status is still up in the air while Vierling has already been ruled out for Opening Day, but regardless it is quite the set of circumstances for manager A.J. Hinch to deal with.

Hinch made an appearance on the MLB Network this week and spoke about the mindset of replacing the two stars and how the team is handling the various tests they're being given.

"It's important for us to have that next-man-up mentality and we'll find a way we have proven to ourselves we can do it," Hinch said, adding he feels good about the team's mentality with regards to expectations. "The vibe is good because we got to feel and experience everything that we talk about. Once you play in one October you want to play in all of them...the expectations are right where they need to be."

As for who the "next man up" could be, there are several options Hinch can go to including Jahmai Jones, Wenceel Perez, Justyn-Henry Malloy and numerous others who are vying for a spot on the roster.

When employing that mentality, the ability to step into roles you may not be supremely comfortable with is going to go a long way towards how the roster winds up shaking out. Being able to unselfishly play a position which is not a player's biggest strength but one they are able to hold their own at and help the team is a critical trait all the players on the bubble will have to show.

As for expectations, there's no question everyone in Detroit is wanting to take the next step and get a proud franchise back to competing for titles following nearly a decade of consecutively missing the postseason.

The Tigers are not catching anybody by surprise this time around however as they did down the stretch in 2024, and expectations raise the requirement to have a more complete season and be on their game from Opening Day on.

It's safe to say things are changing in Detroit, and an experienced manager like Hinch is the perfect guy to not only help this young Tigers team manage expectations but also exceed them.