DETROIT — Down in Florida, injured members of the Detroit Tigers gathered for Opening Day. Matt Vierling and Parker Meadows hosted. Ty Madden flipped steaks on the grill. José Urquidy, the injured pitcher signed this spring, ordered the pizza.
They convened for the Tigers’ opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers, finding some camaraderie even though they were away from most of their teammates.
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“It was a good time,” Vierling said. “We’re rooting everybody on. Obviously, sucks to not be out there with the boys.”
By the Tigers’ home opener last week, some of their most important injured players had ventured to continue their rehabs in Detroit. Alex Cobb, the pitcher the Tigers paid $15 million for this winter, is nursing right hip inflammation. He was supposed to throw a live bullpen session Tuesday, but the freezing temperatures meant his throwing session got canceled. He’s headed back to Florida to continue his work.
Vierling, the outfielder who has been on the shelf since early in the spring with a right shoulder strain, finally received good news Tuesday. He was able to begin a throwing progression. After he played catch for maybe the first time in weeks, Vierling was spotted in the clubhouse, wearing layers and something that resembled a balaclava, a grin still on his face despite a bitterly cold day.
“It’s gonna still be a slow and steady climb as we increase volume and intensity,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “But he raced out to play catch in 30-degree weather. That shows where his mindset is.”
Parker Meadows, the dynamic center fielder the Tigers hoped would patrol their outfield all year, is meanwhile completing prescribed rest as he deals with a nerve issue in his right biceps. He has a check-in with his specialist in Arizona in less than two weeks. It’s still unclear how long it will be before Meadows returns. But he’s been following every game, even the late ones during the Tigers’ opening West Coast trip.
“I’ve been watching every pitch,” Meadows said. “Watching the boys grind.”
The Tigers no doubt feel the loss of Vierling and Meadows. But in some ways, they are slowly getting good news. While Vierling inches closer to a return, second baseman Gleyber Torres — on the injured list with a left oblique strain — remains optimistic about making a quick return. He has been hitting off a high-velocity machine and hasn’t felt any pain in a couple of days. Hinch said Torres is “right on that line” when it comes to needing a rehab assignment before getting activated.
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“I really want to compete with my teammates every day,” Torres said. “But at this point, I want to be smart. I’d rather lose 10 days than lose four weeks.”
For every bit of good news on the injury front, there has been an ounce of bad. Tuesday morning, outfielder Brewer Hicklen had a new locker plate in the Tigers clubhouse. Hicklen was there because outfielder Manuel Margot is on the 10-day IL. Margot suffered a left knee injury as he reached for a ball in the right-center gap in Monday’s victory against the New York Yankees. He initially wanted to play through the pain.
“He met with the doctors, ended up getting some tests, and came back that it was an IL (stint),” Hinch said. “We’ll see what that means and how long it is. Frustrating for him.”
About an hour before first pitch Tuesday, catcher Jake Rogers felt a tweak during a pregame swing in the cages. So Detroit scratched Rogers on a Tarik Skubal start day, making this the first time since Sept. 3, 2023, someone other than Rogers has caught Skubal.
As Dillon Dingler jumped into action to prep his game plan, the Tigers announced Rogers was going on the 10-day IL with left oblique tightness. The club called up veteran catcher Tomas Nido from Triple-A Toledo. But to make room for Nido on the 40-man roster, the Tigers transferred outfielder Wenceel Pérez — who reported back pain after the final spring training game in Florida — to the 60-day IL. Tuesday’s injury report even included a setback for relief pitcher Alex Lange, who has been slowly working back from surgery to repair a lat injury he suffered last season.
Despite all the bad news, the Tigers somehow managed to finish Tuesday in high spirits.
As their 5-0 victory against the Yankees unfolded, Nido rushed up from the Tigers’ Triple-A site only 45 minutes away. In the dugout, staffers provided updates when Nido was parking and as he got dressed. By the time he was suited up, it was the fourth inning and the Tigers were going on an offensive barrage. Spencer Torkelson led off the fourth inning with his third home run of the season. After a Colt Keith groundout, Zach McKinstry launched a home run to right field. Dingler made it back-to-back homers after his blast to left.
“We’ll give (Nido) some credit for that,” Hinch joked.
Three home runs in the same inning for the first time since Aug. 8, 2020! pic.twitter.com/oSntmToOLW
— Tigers PR (@DetroitTigersPR) April 8, 2025
Despite a long injured list that keeps getting longer, the Tigers are rolling. Their bats are hot despite conditions so cold that the Tigers moved up the game times for each day of this three-game series against the Yankees. After the Dodgers swept them to begin the season, the Tigers are 7-1 in their last eight games. That lone loss came in Skubal’s start against the Seattle Mariners. The lefty ace was still kicking himself over that outing even after twirling six scoreless innings and proving his Cy Young form in Tuesday’s victory, the Tigers’ fifth straight win.
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“We like playing at home,” Skubal said. “If it wasn’t for me, we would have won (eight in a row). … Whether it’s snowing or raining or windy, cold, 32 (degrees), doesn’t matter. Put us in Comerica Park and we’re going to put out a good product.”
With their injured brethren unable to contribute, the Tigers have found production from more unlikely sources. McKinstry is hitting .355 to begin the season. Dingler has a 1.118 OPS. Even Javier Báez is hitting .333 and has found ways to contribute on defense and the basepaths.
“Just shows that Scott (Harris) and A.J. are doing their job,” McKinstry said. “They built this organization up to where if guys do go down, they have the ladder coming up.”
Eventually, some of the Tigers’ injured players will get healthy. In the meantime, Detroit must hope no other players join their ranks.
But so far, the Tigers are rolling right along, even at less than full health.
(Photo of Zach McKinstry: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
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