Tigers Outfielder Riley Greene Joins Select Franchise Company in Loss to Red Sox
In this story:
The month of May is not beginning on a good note for the Detroit Tigers. They ended April looking like they were turning a corner after their 4-9 start to the season.
However, over the last two days, they have been hit with key injuries and are facing a suspension of one of their top players.
Tarik Skubal is expected to undergo left elbow surgery to have bone chips removed that are causing him irritation. He could be back in a couple of months, but that's not a guarantee, as elbow injuries are delicate.
On Wednesday, Gleyber Torres was placed on the 10-day injured list. When it rains, it pours.
On Tuesday night, left-handed pitcher Framber Valdez was ejected in the top of the fourth inning for throwing at Trevor Story of the Boston Red Sox. That came after he gave up back-to-back home runs to Willson Contreras and Wilyer Abreu. Not a great look for Valdez, who was tagged for 10 runs on nine hits.
However, one bright note did come out of the 10-3 loss to the Red Sox: Riley Greene, who reached base for the 17th straight game, which is the sixth-longest active streak in the American League.
Tigers Riley Greene Continues Torrid On-Base Streak Against Red Sox
In the seven-run Detroit loss, Greene had a single and a walk to run his on-base streak to 17 games. How good has Greene been this season? In 37 games, he has had two on-base streaks already of 16 consecutive games.
Furthermore, he is the first Tigers left-handed hitter to post multiple on-base streaks of 16 or more games within the same game since Prince Fielder did it three times in 2012.
The 25-year-old Greene is having a good start to the 2026 season for the Tigers. He is slashing .290/.392/.450 with four home runs and 19 RBIs. He has nine doubles to go along with his four home runs.
Given the number of injuries that Detroit is dealing with, they are going to need Greene to continue producing if they are going to hang around in the American League Central until they get healthy.
If there is any good news for the Tigers as the injuries grow, it's that the AL East is a division where all teams are under .500 beginning play on Wednesday night. Staying afloat is the name of the game for the Tigers now and Greene extending his streak as long as he can would be beneficial.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Scott Roche has covered both college and professional sports for nearly three decades for various outlets. Scott has covered the MLB, NHL, and college sports and he is someone always looking for a good rumor, no matter which sport it is.