Tigers May Be Approaching Panic Button Territory in Near Future with Offense
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The Detroit Tigers are just 11 games into the season, meaning it is too early to cast any sort of massive doom and gloom shadow with the way the season has gone.
Baseball is a fickle game, and slow starts happen to teams who wind up contending seemingly every year. While that could absolutely be the case here and Detroit could be fine, the biggest concern is the way the offense is performing right now, and more specifically two of its biggest stars.
Without a serious shift in approach and improvement in swing discipline, this is going to be an issue all season long once again for this team which would greatly limit the overall ceiling in terms of what they can do.
Spencer Torkelson, Riley Greene Struggling Badly for Tigers
Right now, this Detroit lineup is being kept afloat by rookie sensation Kevin McGonigle, which of course is a positive sign for the future, but the way the veterans like Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene as well as Kerry Carpenter are struggling is a massive concern for the present.
Between the powerful trio often at the top of the order, they have 39 strikeouts in the first 11 games with a combined batting average below .200 and way too many non-competitive at-bats. Going into the season, the Tigers were supposed to be emphasizing contact and approach, but instead, their best hitters are struggling with exactly that.
Torkelson appears to be coming along, but ultimately Detroit needs more out of its guys, especially with the pitching not looking as strong as many hoped it could.
Where Tigers Go from Here Moving Forward
With Framber Valdez on the mound on Wednesday, the hope of ending the three-game losing streak is high, even though Tarik Skubal couldn't get it done on Tuesday. The issues Detroit fans are seeing this early though go beyond the win column.
The Tigers look legitimately flawed at the plate just as they were during the dreadful stretch run of the 2025 season. If things don't change quickly, this season could wind up looking a whole lot closer to the back half of last year than the first half.
Detroit wants to be a World Series contender, but it simply does not look like one right now. Keep a close eye on the core of the Tiger lineup which has struggled so far, because if they don't turn it around quickly, it could be a long year in the Motor City.
Michael Brauner is a 2022 graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in Sports Media. He covers various MLB teams across the On SI network and you can also find his work on Yellowhammer News covering the Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers as well as on the radio producing and co-hosting 'The Opening Kickoff' every weekday morning on 105.5 WNSP FM in Mobile, Alabama.