Why the Detroit Tigers Are Relying on This Bat More Than Ever
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The Detroit Tigers are not currently playing their best baseball. In fact, some might argue that they are their own worst enemies.
The top teams in Major League Baseball typically lose around 60 games or more in a season, so losing is inevitable. However, if the Tigers continue to beat themselves on the field, they cannot expect to achieve a positive outcome.
In a losing effort Friday night on the road against the Kansas City Royals, Detroit's defense came back to bite them, allowing the Royals to walk off with the win.
Now on a four-game skid, the Tigers have lost nine of their last 13 games, while having only been outscored by eight runs total in that 13-game stretch.
Amid the struggles, Detroit has turned to one man in the middle of the lineup who continues to get the job done, yet at the same time seems to be flying under the radar: Riley Greene.
Riley Greene's the Heartbeat of the Lineup
Greene got off to a slow start with little to no power for the Tigers, but since the latter half of April and so far into May, he's been one of the hottest hitters at the plate for Detroit. Sure, he hasn't hit too many home runs to this point, but he continues to pass the baton to his teammates by getting on base.
In his last 86 plate appearances, the Tigers All-Star outfielder has hit .384/.477/.603 with a wOBA of .403, according to @TigersLab on X (formerly Twitter). Additionally, Greene has a hard hit percentage of 52.2 and a 17.4% barrel rate.
On the season, going into game two against the divisional rival, Greene holds a .309 AVG with four home runs and 19 RBIs with 22 walks, having only walked 46 times across 157 games in 2025.
One thing that the Tigers need is for Greene to have this production with runners on base, but that's not entirely his fault. There have been times this season where Greene hasn't come up clutch with men on, but more times than not, he's still hitting the ball hard and getting on base.
The Tigers know that once Greene taps into his power swing again while maintaining a professional approach at the plate, he's the guy to drive in the most runs, to get the fans off their feet, and the guy they always knew they could trust.
What Detroit needs at the moment is a sparkplug throughout the entire lineup, and perhaps that trend begins Saturday night with Greene.
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Dominic Minchella is a 2024 Eastern Michigan University graduate with a BA in Communications, Media, and Theatre Arts and a Journalism minor. He covers Major League Baseball for On SI and spends his free time watching games and sharing his insights.