Tigers Have Key Issues to Resolve Before Opening Day on West Coast
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It seems like only days ago the World Series was coming to a close, and now Opening Day is right around the corner. For the Detroit Tigers, their 2026 season starts on the final Thursday of the month in San Diego against the Padres, before travelling to Arizona to take on the Diamondbacks.
There are plenty of spring training games to be played before the plane takes off for California, but as of right now, there are some concerns that the Tigers need to be looking at before that happens, as they have a 4-9-4 record since training has begun.
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Losing games at this point isn't nearly as concerning as it sounds, but when Detroit has to start its year with a road trip across multiple time zones, manager A.J. Hinch wants to make sure that he has tackled all foreseeable problems that have been laid at his feet.
Now, Hinch can at least rest easy knowing who will throw the first pitch of their season, Tarik Skubal. Skubal has won back-to-back Cy Young awards and has been a near automatic strikeout every time he is on the mound, but he can't start every game.
Ultimately, the starting rotation isn't the concern, but their offense. Three out of four of their losses in the 2025 postseason came when they scored two or less runs. The Tigers need consistency, and depth in their hitting rotation.
Spring Training Struggles
Outfielder Riley Greene is coming off a career season that led to his first Silver Slugger Award, but the hiccup was that he struck out over 200 times, a number that is hard to wrap your mind around. Then, in the playoffs, Greene barely batted over .210 and only had an OPS of .621.
Those numbers reflect last season, but the Tigers didn't add another bat to their roster, so they are counting on their studs to be studs. Spring training has not been kind to Greene, as he has only made contact once in six games.
First baseman Spencer Torkelson is in a similar position as Greene. He had a breakout in 2025, but didn't look the same towards the end of the year. Torkelson hit under .200 in the playoffs, despite hitting 31 homers during the regular season.
Riley Greene's first career grand slam travels 471 feet! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/dec6IbO07V
— MLB (@MLB) August 27, 2025
Since training has begun, Torkelson has played in seven games with 16 at-bats, and he has found hits on three of them. His OPS for the spring is under .500, and again, this isn't a concern unless it continues at the end of the month.
Detroit is banking on its 2025 roster to come through for it this season. Management upgraded their pitching staff, but the hitters have to step up and finish the year out strong. This is the time of year to work out the hiccups, but the clock is winding down before the road trip commences.
Maddy Dickens resides in Loveland, Colorado. She grew up with two older brothers, where their lives revolved around sports. She earned a master's degree in business management from Tarleton State University while simultaneously playing basketball and competing in rodeo at the collegiate level. She successfully parlayed a reserve national championship into a professional rodeo career and now stays involved in upper-level athletics by writing for On SI on several different MLB teams' pages, along with some NCAA sites.