The Tigers announced this morning that third baseman/outfielder Matt Vierling has been diagnosed with a strained rotator cuff in his right shoulder. He will be shut down for a period of rest before being re-evaluated for baseball activities. Manager A.J. Hinch informed reporters, including Evan Woodbery of the MLive Media Group, that Vierling will not be ready by Opening Day and will start the season on the injured list.
Vierling, 28, has been a solid player for the Tigers over the past two years. He hit .259/.320/.406 for a 104 wRC+ over the 2023 and 2024 seasons. He mostly played the outfield but also took significant playing time at third base and dabbled at second and first.
Going into 2025, the club projects to have prospect Jace Jung as the regular at third base. Vierling could have been an option to cover there if Jung struggled but was likely to be the regular right fielder, with Riley Greene in left field and Parker Meadows in center.
For as long as Vierling is out of action, the Tigers will have to adjust their plans. Ideally, Jung would take the third base job and run with it, but he has just 34 major league games under his belt thus far. Without Vierling, the top fallback options will be utility infielders like Andy Ibáñez and Zach McKinstry. Perhaps Javier Báez could be another option if Trey Sweeney is handling shortstop, or vice versa.
There are more question marks in the outfield. Meadows is also battling some inflammation in his upper right arm. He is currently being evaluated and the club should provide further updates in the coming days.
At this point, Greene a lock for one outfield spot. Meadows would have another if his issue is minor and he can be ready by Opening Day. Kerry Carpenter could be in the mix for some outfield playing time but he could also act as the designated hitter with regularity. Wenceel Pérez and Justyn-Henry Malloy are on the 40-man roster and have options. They previously projected to start the season in Triple-A but have a better path to big league playing time with Vierling out of action. Ibáñez and McKinstry could also play the outfield in a pinch. Akil Baddoo started camp as a non-roster depth option but required hamate surgery last week and will himself be out of action for a few weeks.
If Vierling is able to get healthy and return fairly early in the season, then this could all be a small blip in the larger context of the full season. Though if the issue ultimately proves significant, that would naturally lead to a larger level of concern. That’s especially true of Meadows also needs to miss some time. If the Tigers decide to add some position player depth, guys like Jose Iglesias, Alex Verdugo, David Peralta and others remain unsigned in free agency.
This sucks. Dude is a good baseball player, hope it doesn’t affect him all year.
One of the most underrated players in the mlb. Unless he is with the Phillies then he sucks. LOL
Nyuck nyuck nyuck is preferable to LOL.
There are no known recorded cases of anyone dying directly from a rotator cuff strain or even a rotator cuff tear.
But rotator cuff or labrum tears require 6-8 weeks recovery time. Rehab after surgery is brutal. PT without surgery may not be a long term remedy…
So a RH hitter who can play 3B and OF may be needed. Sounds like having Ryan Kreidler still on the 40 may be a good thing. I can’t see Jung platooning with McKinstry. (Both are LH)
Jung can platoon with Ibanez. They already have two backup infielders in McKinistry and Ibanez and that’s what Kreidler is. Kreidler would need one hell of a spring and more injuries to make the team.
Get well soon Matt.
Jace Jung time I suppose. This also means they can carry Malloy/Tork.
Or go after someone more proven. Would be fun to put Carp full time in right and sign JD Martinez to DH or be a bat bench
Not sure I like Carp full time in the outfield. He’s average at best. Not sold on him vs. lefties either. JD isn’t a solution, and blocking talented young guys is a Rockies move. Not a fan.
Carp isn’t Al Kaline or Dwight Evans out there but he does the basics well and his fundamentals are solid. He’d be the everyday right fielder on a whole lot of teams…
…But it *should* worry Tigers fans that their two best defensive outfielders are out, maybe indefinitely.
If Soto can play OF, don’t see why Carp can’t.
I like Carpenter’s attitude, the guy is a ballplayer. Would love to see him play full-time.
They’re better off letting Jung give it a whirl than spending money on a declining JD Martinez.
Vierling not a yearling any longer he olde
Arenado, Gorman and cash for Greene makes sense. All three perfect change of scenery candidates.
Except for the part where Arenado says “no” and scuddles the whole thing
You don’t know that.. Hinch could convince him and so could Harris
Convince him to leave St Louis to go to Detroit where all they do is sign aging veterans to 1 year deals? Not only that, the Tigers would be sending their best position player for an aging veteran and a guy who stunk last year who plays the same position the aging veteran plays.
Greene, a 5.5 WAR player and all star, is a change of scenery candidate? That’s a wild thing to say. Even more wild you think the Tigers would deal him for a washed up Arenado and Nolan Gorman.
@Youjustmadethatup. Really living up to your name tag there. Tigers giving up their best player for a washed Arenado and failed prospect? Come on now. Tigers wouldn’t give up Greene for the entire Cardinal 26 man roster.
That’s just a lie.
Arenado instantly improves that team and Gorman is a rising star that can DH or play second in a platoon with Baez. Greene has plateaued in Detroit and makes sense for them to move him while he still has value.
Greene is already a better player than Arenado. Greene is almost 10 years younger and he put up an OPS of .827 while Arenado put up an OPS of .719 and Arenado had an OPS+ of 101 which means he is barely better than league average. Greene had an OPS+ of 133 last season. Arenado’s defense may be currently a bit better but Greene is still a good defender. and Greene put up a war of 5.4 compared to Arenado’s 2.5 so that would be a horrible, out of your mind trade
You’re forgetting Gorman who is a rising star that will take off once out of St. Louis. It’s a very fair trade and may even favor the Tigers
Greene has not plateaud here. His OPS+, BA and SLG% have gone up three years in a row.
Whatever improvements Arenado brings are mitigated and made worse by Greene leaving. He’s the heart and soul of the team and their best bat. Dude is a star and was only getting better at the end of last year. He’s also 10 years younger and under team control. I’d expect a 10+ year extension for Greene before I would expect him to be dealt. Saying he needs a change of scenery is so stupid I had to create an account on here to tell you.
How has he plateaued? He’s gotten better every year in the league. He’s developed a better eye, he’s lifting the ball now, hit 24 homeruns while missing a month due to injury, and he was just robbed of a gold glove in left. Greene is the Tigers best position player who.hasnt even entered his prime. Gorman is more likely to be in the minors come June than an everyday player due to his strike out rate. Arenado is declining fast and would be even worse in a park like Comerica. There’s a reason you’d be fine giving up those spare parts for a guy coming off an all-star season and a 5+ war.
Rising star? Gorman did worse in 2024 than he did in 2023. He had a .671 OPS and an OPS+ of 85 which is worse than league average. He put up a war of 2.4 in 2023 and dropped to 0.3 war in 2024. He struck out more in 2024 than 2023 while he had less at bats in 2024.
They can’t afford to extend him unless they let Skubal walk and that’s a huge mistake.
@Bunting. Love it, Comerica would be empty on day one if they traded Greene for that crap pile.
I’d rather extend Greene than Skubal but that’s just me. Skubal has had way too many throwing arm injuries that I think he could fall off pretty quick. I hope I’m wrong. But even then, adding Arenado and his deferrals would be worse for extending Skubal than extending Greene. At least with Greene you’ll get a productive player in his prime. Not a washed up player and a retired player, both of which Arenado will be if you take on his contract.
He’s had terrible coaching and has been jerked around.
Hence the change of scenery comment weirdo.
Gorman is a rising star? Why would the Cardinals trade him then?
Because you have to give something to get something. That’s how trades work fella
Terrible coaching? Now you’re just making stuff up. AJ Hinch is consistently known for being a top 10 (at worst) manager in baseball.
Jerked around? How? Explain.
Weirdo? If doing some research is weird you might be right. But I like to know what I’m talking about instead of spewing nonsense on the internet.
That was a reply to the tulsu guy. Gorman has had the bad coaching and the jerk around. This site needs to fix the reply section instead of writing hit pieces about the Cardinals all day
You don’t give up a 5.5 WAR 25 year old player who’s the heart and soul of your team for an aging 3b showing decline and a mediocre role player. The Tigers would never do that.
First off, Greene might even be a nonstarter in trade talks for the Tigers no matter who is being offered in return. It’s my understanding that’s the case.
Second, he’s definitely not getting dealt for spare parts to the Cardinals.
Third, no team that lacks offense and needs more offense is trading their best bat for two players who have shown their bats are in decline or they can’t hack it at the MLB level.
It’s not hard to see why your proposal is dumb. And saying a 5.5 WAR player who was an all star and goes on record consistently talking about his love of the Tigers is a change of scenery candidate is asinine.
@Youjustmadethatup
I’ve heard a lot of ridiculous trade proposals in my time, but this has to be one of the worst ever. Not to mention a justification that makes zero sense.
And I’m a Cleveland fan who would love to see Detroit weakened in such an absurd manner.
Gorman is far from a rising star. He’s a guy who has serious contact issues.
This is basically the dumbest thing I’ve heard on this site in like a year. And that’s saying something. So Greene has “plateaued” in Detroit? WTF are you talking about? He’s gotten better every year he’s been in the bigs? I actually feel dumber for having read this comment!
What the hell are you smoking pal?
Wow….what a dumb take
The Illitch Family can afford to extend them both if they want to. They still have quite deep pockets and the Red Wings are finally getting better, which should lead to them making more money, too.
If neither Greene nor Skubal get extended, I doubt that it will be caused by the Illitch Family not making competitive offers.
LOL Not gonna happen. Tigers don’t want or need Arenado or Gorman – especially for Greene. Greene is a guy the Tigers should be signing a lifetime contract with, not giving him away for a bag of diarrhea.
C’mon you guys quit giving this pointless troll the oxygen he craves in order to live another day. I mean, you guys are showing the poor guy some decency & humanity in a way. The only attention he probably gets in his dismal underground existence. But still it can be construed as enabling.
Nah, I know what trolls look like. This guy is just a sad, delusional Cardinals fan who honestly thinks he’s conjured up a good deal to solve the outfield woes on a team which shouldn’t have any based on all their recent prospect hype.
Put down the pipe.
Mo? Bloom? Which one of you is hiding behind that screen name? No way would the Tigers be dumb enough to give up Greene for a fading Arenado and a weak Gorman. Wishful thinking Cardinals homer!
In no world is Riley Green going anywhere. Under contract for a few more years before he’s even eligible for FA. He’s a foundation piece.
Hopefully that’ll never happen cuz I wouldn’t want them to give up Greene just to basically have a higher payroll. Greene is a better player than them two at this point, imo.
Uhhhhhhh Riley Greene is a 24 yr old cheap controllable player who is projected to be an MVP candidate this year. One of the most valuable “trade pieces” in the game. Quotations because they would never trade him.
Arenado is a few inches away from being a salary dump.
Gorman is a fine baseball player, worth 3.5bwar in 315 games coming off a down season.
This trade would get a lot of people fired. Take off your cardinals red tinted glasses and you’ll see that your players aren’t half as valuable as you think they are. Otherwise Arenado would be on another team already.
That trade makes zero sense.
Why oh why are you folks arguing with a troll like Youjustmadethatup? There is a MUTE function for a reason, I’m going to use it right now.
So Greene having an All Star season makes him a change of scenery candidate? I think not.
Javy Baez comeback player of the year.
I honestly think the hip surgery he had this off-season will enable him to atleast play replacement level ball. And for Javy, that’s saying something. He hasn’t looked lost at the plate so far this spring. But that’s against guys that will prolly be selling tools at Home Depot soon. So I guess we’ll see what happens.
I thought Perez was solid enough last season to be the team’s regular Right Fielder going forward but i guess not if he was ticketed for Toledo.
Maybe this is the opening Verdugo needs to finally get signed
Someone on here did not actually propose trading Riley Greene as a “change of scenery” swap.
That did not happen.
He’s a troll, use the mute function!
Pretty much means Jung gets the 3b job. Carpenter will take over RF. Perez is your 4th of.
What it does donis open up the DH slot. Which means whoever wins the Tork/JHM battle gets reg PAs
And if Meadows isn’t ready for opening day, then Perez probably becomes the starting CF and Kreidler ends up making the team as the 4th OF 🙁
Kreidler plays SS/IF
And 2B, and 3B, and OF.
But mostly IF
Like a desperate caveman in “Quest for Fire,” I fight to keep a flicker of hope alive for Kreidler to graduate from 4A.
Why did all the Taylor Ward trade buzz suddenly stop this offseason? If he’s out there, he’d be a nice fit. In reality, though, I don’t think they should make a panic move before assessing how long term this injury is.
Torkelson makes the team now and Carp becomes a regular OFer
Something to keep an eye on, Tork played RF in the Cape and did ok. Maybe they try that? He needs any help he can get to try to get in the line up.
@ Bunting: no way that Torkelson can play right field for the Tigers. That is simply not even going to be tried. He will be on the 26th man if he mashes, otherwise he’s going to Toledo. Same with JHM.
I say screw it. Give it a shot. It’s not like the position is completely foreign to him. He moves well. Arm leaves a bit to be desired, but could be better than what savant is showing. If he hits I say we give it a shot. Worst that happens is we cut him, which is probably going to happen anyway.
If he earns ot in ST but it could just as easily be Malloy if he doesn’t.
Tigers fans were basically begging Harris to get Arenado after they lost out on Bregman and now all of a sudden Arenado is a washed out bum when a FAIR proposal was frameworked,,,,
Good grief. What an entitled weird fan base. Without Gorman and Arenado, they finish under .500. That is a fact.
You are an idiot. Go away.
You’re a really good writer but you lack knowledge.
Because the Cardinals having a washed Arenado and Joey Gallo Jr helped them achieve so much last year. The Cardinals couldn’t put a good enough package together to get the Tigers to trade Greene.
Who wanted Arenado? You just made that up! Vierling and Jung likely to produce as well, tho less defensively. Not enough of a difference for the $20MM difference in salary. They have no need for Gorman.
Fair. LOL. Name a comparable trade and I might take you seriously.
Tigers roster right now last yr was 1 game away from ALCS. They’ve added to it too this offseason, i look for the tigers to make a run this yr. MLB.COm has them in the world series.
I don’t like this news at all. Rotator cuff strain? Just a matter of time. I expect Matt V. to miss a good chunk of the season….if not most of it.
Hope I’m wrong.
.257 and Tiger fans are excited. They really worked on you guys over all these years.
I suppose that’s because we all know this year was gonna be the year, the breakout year!