Riley Greene Takes Another Step Toward Tigers Return With Rehab Update

The Detroit Tigers haven't been the same since All-Star left fielder Riley Greene hit the injured list. In fact, the Tigers have gone 2-9 after losing Greene, which marks the worst record in the American League over that span, which isn't good given how close the playoff race is, despite several teams underperforming.

The Tigers enter a homestand in which they'll host the first-place Tampa Bay Rays and the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers, which features former Tiger Tarik Skubal, with a 61-69 record. While Greene won't be active in the starting lineup Monday night for Detroit, the franchise did receive a positive update on the slugger.

Riley Greene Injury Update

Ahead of the first pitch at Comerica Park against the Rays, MLive Media Group's Evan Woodbery revealed that Greene is back at the stadium, doing some conditioning work in left field. He had been rehabbing at the team's facility in Lakeland during the Tigers' road trip.

Greene having his rehab assignment return to Detroit could mean one of two things, with the second leaning more likely. The first is that Greene could be activated for game two or three against Tampa Bay, or the second get activated when the Dodgers come into town, improving their chances of victory.

This could be a best-case scenario for the Tigers. Having Greene return in front of the home crowd could bring back some of those who have drifted away since the franchise has dropped as many games as it has. That is, if he returns and they start winning again.

The last time the Greene was on the injured list, it was also due to hamstring issues, and he missed 20 games during his 10-day IL placement. With that in mind, he could be ahead of that timeline for his return, having been placed on the injured list on Aug 12.

Before hitting the injured list, Greene was hitting .214 in August with zero home runs. But for the season, he holds a .273 average with 16 home runs, 54 RBIs and an OPS of .816. He might not touch 30 home runs, but it's proof enough that he's a player this offense is missing.

So long as all goes well for Greene and his rehab in Detroit, the slugger could be back in time to potentially save a season filled with ups and downs. Ahead of the series opener, the Tigers have a 4.9% chance of making the playoffs, according to FanGraphs.

Add us as a preferred source on Google