The Detroit Tigers entered the 2025 season with raised expectations. The team that lost 96 games just three years ago had quickly turned things around to win 86 in 2024, get themselves into the postseason for the first time in a decade and advance to the American League Division Series before falling 3-2 in the best-of-five series to the Cleveland Guardians.
And on top of that inspiring performance, Detroit scored its very own Cy Young Award winner in 28-year-old lefty Tarik Skubal, who compiled an 18-4 record in 31 starts with a 2.39 ERA and 228 strikeouts in 192 innings, both league-leading numbers.
But the 2025 season has not started the way the Tigers or their fans would have hoped, based on the promise of the previous season. Spring Training saw injuries that have derailed the team’s biggest offseason pitching acquisition, $15 million free agent Alex Cobb, as well as two of team’s most promising young outfielders, Parker Meadows and Matt Vierling, as well as backup Wenceel Pérez. The three outfielders combined to start 141 games in center field last season.
Rash of Injuries Mars Tigers Start to Season
This year, all three are on the injured list to start the season, Meadows with a nerve issue in his throwing shoulder, Vierling with a right shoulder strain and Pérez with inflammation in his lower back.
During Friday’s 8-5 walk-off loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, a game ended on 10th-inning home run by Dodgers All-Star Mookie Betts, dropping Detroit to 0-2 on the new season, the Tigers suffered another injury to a valuable player â $15 million valuable.
That is the value of the one year contract the Tigers gave to former New York Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres in December, in hopes that the 28-year-old from Caracas, Venezuela, would solidify their infield and perhaps add some of the Yankee mystique to a franchise on a rebuilding path.
And Torres appeared to be making an impact, starting the season with three hits in seven at-bats, including a home run in the top of the third inning of Friday’s game off Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
But in what seems fitting for Detroit’s star-crossed start to the season, it was during his home run trot that Torres began grabbing at his right side, in obvious pain. After touching the plate, rather than celebrate in the dugout with his teammates, Torres headed to the Tigers’ clubhouse.
For some reason, however, manager A.J. Hinch allowed Torres to return to the game in the next inning. Torres even got in another plate appearance, drawing a walk.
Torres Stays in Game After Injury
“Love Hinch but he didn’t play it safe when he gave Torres another at-bat AFTER after his homer aggravated a soft tissue injury that had bothered him for days,” wrote health reporter Jonathan Sher after the game. “In that at-bat after the homer, Gleyber swung twice. Those additional swings made the pain worse. Stupid risk to take.”
Torres himself said that he had already been feeling the injury to his ribcage before the home run trot.
“The last few days, I have played with it but today I wake up a little bit more sore than normal,” Torres told the Detroit Free Press. “During the game, it felt really uncomfortable.”
How long will the Tigers be without their prized free agent acquisition? Hinch said he did not know, only that “we’ll see how he feels tomorrow.”
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