Detroit Tigers' Gleyber Torres returns to lineup after giving fans injury scare
Torres Back in the Lineup After Briefly Sidelined by Forearm Issue
Gleyber Torres returned to the Tigers' starting lineup Wednesday after a brief absence due to a left forearm injury. The second baseman missed Tuesday's game against the Minnesota Twins but was back in action, batting second and playing his usual position at Comerica Park.
"I told him to do some work before the game," manager A.J. Hinch said before Wednesday’s contest. "If anything comes up, I can slot Andy (Ibáñez) in there and get him another day. But he assured me that everything was fine, and he thought he would be good to go."
Torres' absence stemmed from tightness in his left forearm, an issue he had been dealing with for a couple of days.
"He didn't really love the way that he could swing," Hinch explained after Tuesday’s game. "And so he thought one at-bat off the bench, if we needed it, was better. Once he said that, I took him out of the lineup and pretty much made him unavailable."
While Torres did not need to be scratched from Wednesday's game, he is still experiencing some soreness.
“He’s got some general soreness," Hinch noted before the game. “If you see him scratched, that means he’s more sore than usual. But right now, the information I have is he’s good to go.”
The 28-year-old is hitting .273 with 13 home runs, 55 walks and 59 strikeouts in 101 games this season, posting a .796 OPS. He has hit four home runs in his past eight games.
Vierling's Struggles Continue
The Tigers’ loss to the Twins on Tuesday was marred by defensive mistakes, particularly from center fielder Matt Vierling. He misplayed fly balls for doubles in both the first and fifth innings, leading to extra bases for the Twins.
"We'll look at his jump," Hinch said after Tuesday's game. "The routes look funky, which means his first read wasn't the correct read, but I like that he went after it on his first read."
Despite these errors, Hinch still trusts Vierling. “You can’t redo it,” he stated before Wednesday's game. “I thought they were tough plays, but they’re plays that everybody could say that can be made. He’s the first one to tell you that. It’s not a matter of whether he can play center, it’s just completing the play."
Vierling is hitting .220 with seven walks and 23 strikeouts in 28 games this season, posting a .705 OPS. The 28-year-old outfielder is still searching for his first home run in 2025 after hitting a career-high 16 homers in 144 games in 2024.