The Detroit Tigers are in a brutal freefall, having lost six consecutive games and nine of their last 10, and the toughest pill to swallow? Star outfielder Riley Greene is stuck watching from the sidelines, nursing a hamstring injury that’s had him on the injured list since August 12. He wants back in, badly, and honestly, who can blame him when the team is struggling this hard?
Greene Is Pushing Hard, But Patience Is Key
Greene’s hamstring injury, which he picked up in an August 11 game against Cleveland, has kept him out of action, but things are definitely looking up. He took batting practice in the cage on Tuesday, August 25, and even did some straight-line running, showing the most progress he’s had since getting hurt. Manager AJ Hinch was pumped about it, saying, “Riley Greene continues to advance his baseball work. One step forward. That’s a good sign. I was pleased with his work. It’s as close to full speed as he’s been.”
But even with that good news, Greene is preaching patience, which has to be incredibly tough to do right now. He told reporters, “I just have to not rush it. We have a month a couple of days of baseball left, of the regular season, and I just want to finish and try to help the team in any way I can.” He’s still not speculating on an exact return, adding, “I’m feeling good, I just have to check off some boxes and see how I feel. I don’t know, we’ll see. It just kind of depends on how I feel, how my body reacts when I wake up. But I feel like today was a good step I did a lot today. See what happens.” His frustration is real, though. “It’s tough,” Greene admitted. “I want to be there through the ups and downs, and I want to be going through whatever it is. It’s tough. I want to be out there.”
The Tigers Are Bleeding Without His Bat
It’s easy to see why Greene feels that urgency. The Tigers have been absolutely reeling, and they are clearly missing his offense in the lineup. His .816 OPS, 16 homers, and 54 RBIs are exactly what they need right now to snap this brutal skid. The team’s slide has been so bad that even looking across the league, only the Texas Rangers at 66-66 in the AL West and the Chicago White Sox at 68-63 in the AL Central were above .500. Hinch doesn’t believe it’s a down year for the AL, but the numbers are pretty stark.
On the pitching front, there’s some other potential good news on the horizon. Pitcher Jack Flaherty, who’s been out since July 22 with a right forearm flexor strain, is slated to throw off the mound Wednesday, August 26. Hinch called that a “positive step,” and Flaherty himself said he’s determined to pitch in September. Before his injury, Flaherty was 4-2 with a 2.12 ERA, 34 strikeouts, and 10 walks in his six starts. Pitcher Keider Montero is also lined up to start Saturday against the Los Angeles Dodgers, after his previous start was pushed back four days following a stressful five-inning outing on August 18. Montero has already tossed a career-high 133.2 innings in 21 starts this season, way up from his 96 innings last year.
So, while Greene works his way back, the Tigers need to stop the bleeding before Montero takes the mound on Saturday. Every win counts, especially when your star player is itching to get back in the fight.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply